Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Monday that his government considers the holding of a referendum on the status of Crimea as illegal, according to Japanese media.

"The referendum is invalid, and Japan does not recognize its results," he told reporters.

At the same time, he noted the inconsistency of the voting procedure with the Constitution of Ukraine, according to which any potential change of its territory should be submitted for nationwide consideration.

Suga on behalf of the Japanese government urged Moscow to "respect international law," as well as to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.