Territorial dispute: Japan to face reluctant negotiator in talks with Russia

Territorial dispute: Japan to face reluctant negotiator in talks with Russia

MOSCOW — Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida has managed to convince Russia to come to the negotiating table to advance long-stalled territorial talks. Yet Moscow’s recent hard-line gestures seem to signal a tough road ahead for Japan.

    The tension was palpable when Kishida and his counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, gave a press conference here Monday night after meeting for four and a half hours.

     “We had an in-depth discussion on the territorial issue,” Kishida said. But Lavrov immediately refuted that, saying, “The Russian side did not talk about the Northern Territories. The issue didn’t even come up. The theme was signing a peace treaty.” Sitting next to him, Kishida smiled bitterly.

     The countries never inked a peace pact after the war, having failed to resolve a dispute over Soviet occupation of islands known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia.

     What the two sides agreed at the meeting was to resume vice-ministerial talks on signing a peace treaty after a 21-month break, but such negotiations would inevitably focus on the territorial row. Japan’s basic position is to settle sovereignty issues over the four islands — Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islets — before a peace treaty can be signed between the two countries.

     “Half the time was spent on the territorial issue,” Kishida told reporters Tuesday, explaining his meeting with Lavrov. “Conclusion of a peace treaty is synonymous with resolution of the territorial issue.” 

     Russia maintains that the disputed islands became part of its territory by winning the war. Lavrov urged Kishida to “acknowledge the historical reality of the postwar period,” and insisted that Japan accept the Russian position as a prerequisite for resuming negotiations.

     Lavrov’s comments reflect the increasingly provocative stance taken by Russia, which sent Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and other senior officials to the disputed islands to Japan’s chagrin. 

     “There is a difference in our understanding, but we should not have a precondition to negotiations,” Kishida stressed. In an apparent concession, Lavrov did agree to work toward a “solution acceptable for both.”

     Knowing that Kishida traveled to Moscow despite grumbling by the U.S., Moscow has apparently concluded that the U.S. may profit if Kishida leaves empty-handed. 

     “Russia understands the diplomatic importance of Japan,” said Dmitry Streltsov, a professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

Economic route

Japan is hoping that better economic relations will lead to results on the diplomatic front. On Tuesday, the Russia-Japan Intergovernmental Committee on Trade and Economic Issues held its first meeting in nearly three years. Kishida and First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov presided over the forum created to promote bilateral trade. A private-sector delegation from Japan accompanied Kishida on the trip, as requested by Russia.

     “It is important to promote ties with Japan in a mutually beneficial form in the Far East [region] and elsewhere in Russia,” Shuvalov said.

     The two countries will continue talks on a visit to Japan by President Vladimir Putin by the end of the year.

     Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who recently clinched a second term as ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader, wants to pave the way for resolving the territorial dispute while in office, but the prospects remain bleak.

Territorial dispute: Japan to face reluctant negotiator in talks with Russia