How can the stalemate be broken in floundering territorial negotiations with Russia? The government is called on to take a multifaceted approach based on a long-term strategy.
Foreign Minister Taro Kono has conferred with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Tokyo, and they agreed to accelerate talks toward realizing joint economic activities on the four Russian-occupied northern islands. The two countries will resume director-general-level working group talks in mid-April.
In a news conference held after the meeting, Kono said, "We want to steadily move forward with preparations for realizing joint economic activities and unrestricted travel [to and from the islands]."
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is scheduled to visit Russia in late May to meet with President Vladimir Putin for their 21st summit. The foreign ministers' talks were aimed at paving the way for the planned Abe-Putin summit.
Under the joint economic activities, which were agreed upon in a bilateral summit held in December 2016, it is assumed that businesses from the two countries will make joint capital investment to undertake projects on the four islands. It has tentatively been agreed that five projects, including aquaculture of marine products and wind power generation, will be promoted. Details of these projects will be discussed in the planned director-general-level talks.
It can hardly be said that Russia is taking a forward-looking attitude. The planned joint economic activities are based on the premise that they will be carried out under a special legal system that would not impair the legal positions of the two countries. However, Russia has adhered to the application of its domestic laws.
Russia has established a special economic zone on Shikotan, one of the four islands, and has called on companies in foreign countries to make their way into the zone. This is a move that dampens cooperation between Japan and Russia.
Broaden base for exchanges
The possibility that Putin -- who has been reelected as president -- will toughen his hard-line stance toward the territorial issue to maintain his unifying force domestically cannot be denied.
Using his relationship of trust with Putin as leverage, Abe needs to explain repeatedly the significance of developing the bilateral relationship by solving the territorial issue.
As an incentive to promote territorial negotiations, the Japanese government has been proceeding with an eight-item economic cooperation plan, including energy development, medical assistance, and the expansion of ports and airports mainly in the Russian Far East.
Steadily carrying out these projects in cooperation with the business world could benefit both Japan and Russia, and also eventually contribute to resolving the territorial issue.
During the foreign ministers' meeting, Kono and Lavrov confirmed that former residents' travelling to the islands by air to visit their relatives' graves -- which was held last year for the first time -- will also be carried out this year. It is also essential to expand people-to-people exchanges so as to broaden the base for bilateral interactions.
In the meeting, Lavrov expressed concern about Japan's planned deployment of an Aegis Ashore missile defense system, saying it is directly related to the security of Russia. Kono explained that the system "is absolutely aimed at defense."
There is a view that Russia is taking issue with Japan's missile defense system as an attempt to buy time in the territorial negotiations. The government should work toward holding constructive talks through such forums as the Japan-Russia Strategic Dialogue.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 23, 2018)
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