Going Backward with Russia

In the midst of international effort for standing against terrorism, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did his best for improving the relationship with Russia. Abe had a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Antalya, Turkey, where world leaders were gathering for G20 Summit meeting, to achieve progress in the Northern Territory issue. While both leaders agreed on determining the most appropriate timing for Putin to visit Japan, the outcome meant the bilateral relationship was going backward, because Putin’s visit had to be done years before.

In the thirty-minute meeting, they reconfirmed to continue bilateral dialogue on leader’s level. “I positively evaluate stable procedure of dialogues and exchanges in broad area,” Abe said to Putin, “ and the important thing to put the relationship forward is keeping our talks.”

According to the announcement of Japanese officials, both leaders spent more than a half of the meeting for the territorial issue and “frankly exchanged their opinions.” They reconfirmed that they would pursue a resolution acceptable for both sides, based on the joint statement in April 2013. Putin evaluated vice-minister level meeting resumed last month as “very meaningful.” They also agreed on reinforcing bilateral relationship in security and economic cooperation.

Even how much they accumulate trivial agreement, Putin’s visit to Japan must be the greatest achievement for the improvement of Japan-Russia relationship. Both leaders once agreed on Putin’s visit to Japan in the fall of 2014. It was postponed to “appropriate time” in 2015, after Russia’s invasion to Crimea. As the crisis in Ukraine prolonged, Abe offered Putin in this September to visit Japan in the spring of 2016. Abe hoped to welcome Putin just before G8 Summit in Japan next May.

While Japan was struggling for determining actual timing of Putin’s visit, Russia began to seek Abe’s visit to Russia before Putin would go to Japan. According to Interfax News Agency, a spokesman of Kremlin told that it was possible for Abe to do that. Putin invited Abe to a regional place in Russia in Antalya meeting.

For Russia, Putin’s visit to Japan is not for settling the dispute over Northern Territory, but for drawing further economic cooperation from Japan. It is obvious that Western nations will be frustrated with unilateral extension of a helping hand to Russia that keeps on occupying a part of Ukraine. Japanese Prime Minister and Ministry of Foreign Affairs need to realize that it is difficult for them to gain any unilateral progress in the time when integrated international action is needed.