Ukraine Crisis Torpedoes Russia-Japan Rapprochement

Ukraine Crisis Torpedoes Russia-Japan Rapprochement
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after their talks in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi, Russia, Feb. 8, 2014 (AP photo/RIA-Novosti, Mikhail Klimentyev).

One of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s main objectives since returning to office has been to improve relations with Russia, a goal also sought by Moscow. Both governments want to enlarge their diplomatic options and gain leverage with third parties as well as achieve mutually beneficial bilateral economic and energy deals. The two sides’ territorial dispute over the Russian-administered Southern Kurils, which the Japanese call their Northern Territories, has long stood in the way of improved ties. Because of the dispute, for instance, Japan and Russia have yet to sign a peace treaty formally ending the state of war between them dating back to World War II. More concretely, the dispute and its fallout have prevented both sides from realizing mutual security and economic interests and helped relegate them to the periphery of Asian politics.

Now the two countries have an opportunity to change matters. For the first time in decades, Russia and Japan both have strong leaders with solid nationalist credentials who could negotiate a territorial compromise and then sell it domestically. Any agreement would likely require that each accept control over fewer than all four islands in return for a peace treaty, stronger economic relations and enhanced diplomatic ties.

Yet numerous obstacles have long made it difficult to attain such an agreement. Both sides’ historical and legal claims have become largely irrelevant, as the territorial question has become transformed into one of competing national interests aggravated by national prestige, diverging priorities and nationalist public opinion, all of which combine to make it hard for elected politicians to compromise. Various proposals to divide control of the islands or establish a creative shared sovereignty arrangement have never gained decisive support in both governments simultaneously. Whenever one side seemed prepared to make a deal, the other party declined in the end to endorse it.

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article by submitting your email address below. You'll also get access to three articles of your choice each month and our free newsletter:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having a personal curator and expert analyst of global affairs news. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of tens of thousands of articles.
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday.
  • Regular in-depth articles with deep dives into important issues and countries.
  • The Daily Review email, with our take on the day’s most important news, the latest WPR analysis, what’s on our radar, and more.
  • The Weekly Review email, with quick summaries of the week’s most important coverage, and what’s to come.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.

More World Politics Review