Strange Judo Talk

For the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, Judo occupies a large part of his life. That is why he often uses Judo terminology in the negotiation with Japan. But it is sometimes hard for the Japanese to understand what the president is talking about by using Judo metaphor. The point is whether Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, who is not healthy enough to play Judo, can understand Putin’s Judo talk in coming meeting in Moscow.

In the discussion about disputed Northern Territory with Abe’s Special Envoy, former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, Putin explained about “hikiwake,” which means draw game. For him, hikiwake was “solution with no winner and acceptable for both parties,” according to Mori’s post-meeting press conference. The explanation was unusual for Japanese, because there is no Judo player who declares no intention of winning before a match. If a player deliberately prolongs a match with non-aggression, he/she will get “shido,” a penalty point which accumulation leads to defeat.

The negotiation over the Northern Territory has been deadlocked between the leaders of both two countries. The last opportunity was the summit talk by Mori and Putin at Irkutsk in Siberia in 2001. At the meeting, both leaders shared a possibility of dividing four islands into two categories. On smaller two islands of Shikotan and Habomai, both would discuss the condition of returning to Japan. And about other two, Etorofu and Kunashiri, the leaders would talk about to which they belonged. After that, however, both nations saw no actual progress.

In the meeting with Mori, Putin drew a picture of Judo competition area to persuade Mori. Pointing a corner of the square, “We are in this place where we can play no more. We need to get back to the center of the square and resume the game,” said Putin. But it was unclear which place Putin was going back to. There are several moments both country made epochs. When Mori showed a caricature of Japanese newspaper, in which Mori and Putin grabbing each other by one hand in Judo match and shaking hands on the other side showing their friendship. “This is an open-weight category,’ said Putin making no sense.

The meeting was overture for the summit talk between Abe and Putin. Although Putin showed his willingness to solve the territorial issue, the standpoint of them is separated so far. Japan requires a solution of the belonging of four islands, while Russia sees two-island solution. First of all, they need to do their best to obtain their own national interests. Then, it is possible for the match to be hikiwake as a result. Hikiwake from the beginning opposes sportsmanship.