Japan Brief/FPCJ, No. 0926
May 15, 2009


Japanese and Russian Prime Ministers’ Talks

On May 12 Prime Minister Taro Aso held talks with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who was making his first visit to Japan as prime minister. The two prime ministers agreed to strengthen collaboration between their countries in such fields as the economy and energy. They managed to sign a bilateral civil nuclear accord, on which negotiations have been tricky, and also affirmed the expansion of cooperative ties in a wide range of areas. This included the signing of a treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters that will enable investigative authorities in the two countries to exchange information smoothly without having to go through diplomatic channels.

Regarding the Northern Territories issue, which is the biggest pending issue between Japan and Russia, the two prime ministers agreed to accelerate work toward a final solution of the question of jurisdiction over the four islands. At a joint press conference held after the meeting, Prime Minister Putin stated clearly that Prime Minister Aso and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev would hold bilateral talks at the Group of Eight summit scheduled to be held in Italy in July and would discuss “every possible option.” On May 13 Japan’s main newspapers focused on this statement by Prime Minister Putin and carried such headlines over their front-page reports on the Japan-Russia talks as “Toward discussion of all possible solutions for the four northern islands; Japanese and Russian prime ministers agree to accelerate work” (Yomiuri Shimbun) and “Japan-Russia meeting: Prime Minister Putin says July discussions to cover ‘every possible option’ on Northern Territories issue” (Mainichi Shimbun).

Moves Relating to the Northern Territories Issue

The four northern islands (Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group) were occupied by the Soviet military immediately after Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration and surrendered in August 1945. Japan is calling for the return of the islands, saying that they are inherent Japanese territory, but Russia has continued to exercise effective control over them.

It was in these circumstances that President Medvedev, in a meeting with Prime Minister Aso in Peru in November 2008, stated that “I am not thinking of leaving solution of the issue to the next generation.” Furthermore, in another meeting between Prime Minister Aso and President Medvedev in Sakhalin in February of this year, the two leaders agreed to aim for a solution of the territorial issue through a “new, original, and nonstandard approach.”

Domestically in Japan, speaking in an interview with the Mainichi (April 17), government representative Shotaro Yachi (a former vice-minister for foreign affairs) remarked, “The two islands [Habomai and Shikotan] account for only 7% of the total area of the four islands. Etorofu is extremely large. So if we split the total area of the four islands into two, it would mean three islands plus 20%–25% of Etorofu.” This idea, which has been called the “three-and-a-half islands proposal,” created a heated debate. The government, however, immediately issued an official denial of the idea.

At a press conference Prime Minister Putin held with some Japanese reporters before coming to Japan, he stated cautiously, “The government of Japan has no firm stance on this issue. I cannot comment on such a stance.” At a joint press conference with Mr. Aso, Prime Minister Putin only stated that “in the talks between President Medvedev and Prime Minister Aso in July, every possible option will be discussed.” At the same joint press conference, regarding the overall meeting with Prime Minister Putin, Prime Minister Aso highly evaluated the results, saying that “It was an important step in raising Japan-Russia relations to a higher dimension.”

Main Newspaper Editorials

All five of Japan’s main newspapers carried editorials on May 13 concerning the talks between the Japanese and Russian prime ministers.

The Yomiuri editorial began, “Russia no doubt finds Japan’s advanced technology and investment capabilities very attractive. Now is the time to closely watch Moscow’s next move, with an eye to determining whether anticipated progress in bilateral economic cooperation will play a role in helping overcome the gridlock in the dispute over the sovereignty of the four Russian-held northern territories.” It went on, “When Putin was Russian president, however, territorial negotiations were stymied because Moscow tried to settle the row by returning only Shikotan and the Habomai islet group. The government has to carefully study what the new approach Moscow proposes means.” Regarding the “three-and-a-half islands” proposal, the Yomiuri cautioned, “Yachi’s remark might have sent a wrong signal to Moscow that Japan is ready to compromise on the issue.”

The Asahi Shimbun editorial commented, “We want to continue believing in Moscow’s sincerity to eventually make a specific proposal based on the ‘new approach.’ But bilateral trade has suddenly gone sluggish amid the global economic meltdown. Should the crisis drag on, the economic cooperation that has been built up with much effort over the years may revert to its former unimpressive level.” It added, “We believe that the only way to get things moving on the territorial issue is for Japan to come up with a viable Russia policy based on a long-term strategy.”

The Mainichi editorial welcomed Prime Minister Putin’s statement that “It is important to get rid of negative legacies quickly” as “an expression of his eagerness to solve the territorial issue” but cautioned, “This does not mean that the gap between Japan, which wants the four islands to be the subject of negotiations, and Russia, which wants a solution based on the 1956 Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration calling for the reversion of two islands, has been filled.” Calling on the Japanese government to prepare for discussion of “every possible option,” it added, “It is necessary to forge a firm strategy.”

The Nikkei editorial remarked that “Their agreement that a true strategic partnership between Japan and Russia can only be realized by accelerating consultations [on the territorial issue] and solving the issue of jurisdiction over the four islands is significant to some extent” but went on to request of the Russian side, “Prime Minister Putin speaks about expanding economic cooperation in order to conclude a peace treaty. But we would like Russia to adopt a forward-looking approach in order to wipe away Japan’s concern that economic cooperation alone will take precedence and the territorial issue will be neglected.”

The Sankei Shimbun editorial commented, “The path to solving the territorial issue remains obscure. We cannot deny the feeling that the meeting proceeded from start to finish according to Russia’s plan, with precedence given to economic matters.” It added, “From now on also Japan should maintain the principle of the reversion of the four islands and continue dogged negotiations without being misled by Russia’s economy-first policy.”

(Copyright 2009 Foreign Press Center, Japan)

*Japan Brief is an original production of the Foreign Press Center, Japan, and does not represent the views of the Government of Japan or of any other body.


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