Russia doesn't have a particular problem with Japan like China and Korea do. Russians took territories from Japan with Japan barking for them back and Russia just says, no, I don't even acknowledge your request. I would say that their political alignment is only indirectly negative through China, but directly, Japan dares cause no issues to Russia. Russia is a big country that has absolutely no fear of Japan and this lack of fear/alarm makes a positive image possible. China cannot benefit from that because China is on everybody's number 1 priority in the US camp. Japan bloody hates Russia though, but it is a small man's hate as he dates do nothing but let it simmer.
Same political relationship back and forth (indirectly mildly negative) but the little guy hates and fears the big guy while the big guy doesn't feel threatened and doesn't hate the little guy. With China's neighbors, China is always the big guy. Indeed, there are some small countries with serious fear and dislike to China but Chinese people don't particularly dislike them. It's not soft power; it's the hard power dynamic that makes China relaxed and those countries nervous/scared.
