MOSCOW, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday made his first go to to the Southern Kuril Islands, referred to as the Northern Territories in Japan, and made powerful feedback on Russia-Japan relations.
What did Putin do throughout the go to? What concerns lie behind his journey? How has Japan responded, and what does the go to imply for the way forward for Russia-Japan ties?
WHAT HAPPENED
Putin is on a tour of Russia’s Siberia and Far East areas. On Wednesday, Putin boarded the Varyag, the Pacific Fleet’s flagship missile cruiser, in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the executive middle of the Sakhalin area, the place he attended the ultimate stage of the Pacific Fleet drills and met with senior fleet commanders.
On Thursday, Putin landed on Iturup, the most important island of the Southern Kuril Islands. He visited a fish processing plant, a neighborhood faculty and a hospital. Kremlin-released footage exhibits Putin additionally talking with residents and commenting on “fine weather.”
During a gathering with Sakhalin Governor Valery Limarenko, Putin reviewed the area’s financial growth, together with the impression of fluctuations within the ruble alternate price on the native financial system
According to TASS, the go to marks Putin’s first journey to the islands. Other Russian presidents and prime ministers have visited the archipelago a number of occasions. Dmitry Medvedev made 4 visits — as soon as as president and 3 times as prime minister — whereas incumbent Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has additionally visited the islands.
MESSAGE TO JAPAN
The territorial dispute over the Southern Kuril Islands stays one of many greatest sticking factors in Russia-Japan relations.
The long-running dispute has prevented Moscow and Tokyo from signing a post-World War II peace treaty. Japan’s sanctions in opposition to Moscow over the Ukraine disaster have introduced bilateral negotiations over the islands to a halt.
While attending drills in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Putin recalled that Russia as soon as maintained constructive engagement with Japanese leaders, together with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, earlier than Tokyo modified its coverage towards Moscow.
Under Abe’s administration, the 2 sides put aside territorial frictions to advance commerce and financial cooperation, and Abe attended a number of periods of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
In its newly printed Defense White Paper, Japan has categorized Russia as a serious risk for the primary time, though “we do not pose a threat to Japan. We have absolutely no claims against it,” stated Putin.
Japan continues to press territorial claims over the Southern Kuril Islands, he stated, noting that the present standing of the Kuril Islands “is enshrined in international documents as a reality that arose following the outcome of World War II.”
“But even here, Russia was prepared to seek a solution with the goal of concluding a peace treaty with Japan,” he stated.
Analysts say Putin’s go to and remarks strike a stability between agency messaging towards Japan and a level of tactical openness. Moscow seems eager to maintain dialogue channels open, whereas looking for Japanese concessions on sanctions and a doable resumption of financial cooperation.
JAPAN’S REACTION
In a press convention on Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi “strongly protested” Putin’s go to to the disputed island, which she stated is “absolutely unacceptable.”
Putin’s go to “is incompatible with the Government of Japan’s consistent position on the Northern Territories,” stated Takaichi.
“This visit has further hardened public sentiment toward Russia in Japan and made it more difficult to restore Japan-Russia relations over the medium to long term,” she added.
On the identical day, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned the Russian ambassador to Tokyo to lodge a proper protest over Putin’s go to.
The Japanese authorities plans to think about countermeasures in opposition to Putin’s go to, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported early Friday, including that one doable measure is strengthening current sanctions that Tokyo has already imposed on Moscow.
NO EASY RESET IN SIGHT
Russia-Japan ties have undergone steep deterioration since 2022. Japan imposed sweeping sanctions in opposition to Russia over the Ukraine disaster, with direct air hyperlinks severed, and bilateral commerce and funding contracted sharply.
Moscow has protested over Japan’s provision of financial help and geospatial intelligence to Kiev, its help for utilizing frozen Russian sovereign property held by Western states to assist Ukraine, and cooperation with Ukraine in drones.
In 2022, it suspended peace treaty talks with Japan “because it is impossible to discuss this fundamental document on bilateral relations with a state that holds an explicitly unfriendly position and seeks to harm the interests of our country.”
It additionally suspended visa-free journey for former Japanese residents of the Southern Kuril Islands to the locations of their former residency.
Since taking workplace, the Takaichi administration’s push for higher remilitarisation has raised Russia’s safety considerations.
In late July, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko argued that the belligerent stance of the Japanese authorities negatively impacts stability within the Asia-Pacific area and immediately undermines the safety pursuits of neighboring nations.
Regarding Russia-Japan relations, the diplomat stated that provided that Japan takes concrete steps to desert its anti-Russian stance can the 2 nations resume dialogue and cooperation.
Analysts say the prospects for a breakthrough in Russia-Japan relations stay slim. Neither facet seems to have a lot room for compromise on the territorial dispute, whereas Japan’s alignment with the West over the Ukraine disaster makes a big easing of sanctions in opposition to Russia unlikely.