Inviting to Hometown

The governments of Japan and Russia simultaneously announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin would make a visit to Japan in December. Putin will have a summit meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Yamaguchi, the hometown of Abe. Abe expects to make closer personal relationship with Putin for accelerating negotiation for settling dispute over Northern Territory and concluding peace treaty.

Abe has been requesting Putin to visit Japan. In April 2013, Abe made an official visit to Russia for the first time in ten previous years as Japanese Prime Minister and received an indirect message from Putin to settle the dispute over Northern Territory. Advised by former Premier Yoshiro Mori, Abe proposed Putin to invite him to his hometown in Yamaguchi, when Putin invited Abe to Sochi Olympic in 2014. But, Russia annexed Crimea right after their meeting. The dialogue was intermitted.

According to a report of Asahi Shimbun, Abe demanded United States President Barack Obama understanding on Japan-Russia diplomacy last February. “I see. It depends on Shinzo,” told Obama in a rough voice through overseas telephone. Although Obama was as frustrated as unilaterally hanging up the phone, Abe recognized that he received minimum understanding from Obama. It was unusual that U.S. President would understand an important ally to make closer relationship with the leader who promoted illegal annexation of neighbor country.

On the territory issue, Japanese government has been keeping the line that “concluding peace treaty after reconfirming identification of the islands.” Asserting legitimacy of occupying the islands, Russian government has been accumulating military facilities there. There has been no progress on the issue these years, while Russia ignored the appeal of Japan and focused on closer economic relationship with Japan. Looking for even a small breakthrough, Abe proposed eight kinds of economic cooperation deals, including longer and healthy life of people, building urban community or development of Fareast.

It is unlikely for Abe, however, to achieve a progress in territory deal. Putin has been accusing Japan of demanding return of all four islands after proposing settlement based on Japan-Russia Mutual Declaration in 1956, which reconfirmed returning only two islands to Japan, at the time of Prime Minister Mori. As long as Japan insists on four-island solution, no breakthrough can see.

In the situation that China is advancing Pacific Ocean with seeking defense line made by consecutive islands, Russia has to maintain its security inside Kuril Islands including Northern Territory of Japan. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told that Japan should not connect the bilateral relationship with Kuril Islands of Russia. There is no environment that Japan can get a preferable outcome in Yamaguchi meeting.