Next Meeting Was Set

The outcome had nothing new. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok on Friday. Both leaders reconfirmed accelerating the negotiation over Northern Territory of Japan, being occupied by Russia for over seven decades after World War II. Putin accepted the invitation of Abe to his hometown in Yamaguchi in December, as prepared by their diplomatic staffs. Fundamental difference between Japan and Russia has not eliminated in the meeting, anyway.

After the meeting, Abe emphasized that he had had a detailed discussion over bilateral peace treaty with Putin. “There is no way to make a breakthrough in an abnormal situation, in which both nations did not conclude peace treaty, except finding solution based on mutual credibility of both leaders,” told Abe to Japanese press. Abe stressed that he could see the way to proceed with “new approach,” the concept which both leaders agreed on setting as the basis for the negotiation in their meeting in May.

Newspapers raised headlines that indicated their agreement on having their meeting in Nagato City, Yamaguchi, in December. They reported Abe’s comment of looking forward to talking with Putin about peace treaty in an environment of slow and calm. Two leaders also agreed on having another meeting, before Yamaguchi Summit, in Peru, taking opportunity of Asia-Pacific Economy Cooperation meeting in November. The biggest outcome of Abe-Putin meeting, anyway, was to have other meetings to maintain momentum of the bilateral relationship.

Just before the meeting, Hokkaido Shimbun reported that Abe was considering mutual development in Northern Territory, an option which had been turned down as logically approving Russian sovereignty in the islands. Abe has already pledged eight kinds of economic cooperation in the meeting in May. Without any hope of progress in the territorial negotiation, Abe is delivering cards in diplomacy with Russia.

While welcoming positive proposals from Japan, Russia has shown no hint of compromise. In the interview of Bloomberg, Putin insisted that no compromise would be found as long as the relation with Japan was staying at current level. “We talked with China for forty years. I would like to stress forty,” told Putin, drawing an example of Sino-Russia relation as on the higher level. In addition, Putin recognized that Northern Territory became the territory of Russia as a result of World War II and the method of settlement with China, dividing area of the territory in two, would not be applicable to negotiation with Japan. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Labrov told that he saw in Japan readiness for mutual economic activities or exchanging people. The negotiation is unilaterally defined by Russian leaders, regardless Abe’s ambition.