MOSCOW (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government will resume sending university students to Russia under a short-term study program from August after a seven-year hiatus following the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Japan's Foreign Ministry said that about 15 Russian-language students are expected to stay in St. Petersburg, in northwestern Russia, for around 10 days, during which time they will attend language classes and meet with local students.

The resumption came despite domestic criticism of maintaining such an exchange program with Russia while the war continues.

The ministry acknowledged that the bilateral relationship is in a severe state, yet its policy toward Russia, including its sanctions regime, remains fundamentally unchanged.

But it underscored the importance of people-to-people exchanges, saying, "It is important for young generations that will support future bilateral relations to learn each other's languages and interact with one another."

Japan and Russia launched the exchange program for young people in 1999, based on an agreement reached at a summit meeting the previous year.

About 9,000 Japanese and Russian young people had joined the program as of the end of 2019, according to the Japan Russia Youth Exchange Center. But the pandemic and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine since 2022 had put the program on hold.

Last September, the ministry eased its travel advisory for Russia, excluding the border area with Ukraine. While traveling to Russia should be generally avoided, it allows visits under "truly unavoidable circumstances," such as for business and study.