Japan–Russia relations
Japan |
Russia |
---|---|
Diplomatic mission | |
Embassy of Japan, Moscow | Embassy of Russia, Tokyo |
Envoy | |
Japanese Ambassador to Russia Toyohisa Kodzuki | Ambassador to Japan Mikhail Galuzin |
Relations between the
In a 2018 opinion poll published by the Russian
In 19, Japan imposed sanctions on Russia for its
History
Russian navigator Adam Laxman was sent by Catherine the Great to return Japanese castaway Daikokuya Kōdayū to Japan. Russian diplomat Nikolai Rezanov was commissioned by Alexander I as Russian ambassador to Japan to conclude a commercial treaty, but his efforts were thwarted by the Japanese government.
Tsarist era (1855–1917)
Diplomatic and commercial relations between the two empires were established from 1855 onwards. Japan and Russia participated in the suppression of the
Soviet era (1917–1991)
Relations between the Communist takeover in 1917 and the collapse of Communism in 1991 tended to be hostile. Japan had sent troops to counter the Bolshevik presence in Russia's Far East during the Russian Civil War, but left without any gains.[10]
Relations were tense in the 1930s, as Japan took full control of Manchuria in 1931 and made war on China in 1937. Moscow favored China. The Russians defeated Japan at the bloody Nomonhan Incident in 1939. Japanese leaders decided to avoid any war with the USSR and instead turned south against Britain, the Netherlands and the United States.[11]
The USSR declared war on Japan in August 1945 and invaded Japanese-controlled areas of Korea and Manchuria, swiftly capturing the defenders.[12] Moscow kept POWs after the war for years, using them for forced labor, a concern that heightened Japan's support of the anti-Soviet side of the Cold War.[13]
The U.S. had full control of the Occupation of Japan, to Moscow's annoyance. In response Moscow refused to sign the 1951 peace treaty.[14] Therefore, the state of war between the Soviet Union and Japan technically existed until 1956, when it was ended by the Soviet–Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956.[15] A formal peace treaty still has not been signed. The key stumbling block to improving relations between the Soviet Union and Japan in the post-war period has been the territorial dispute over the Kurils, which are known as the Northern Territories in Japan.[16]
After 1975, the Soviet Union began openly to warn that a Japanese peace treaty with China would jeopardize Soviet–Japan relations. The signing of the Sino-Japanese peace treaty in mid-1978 was a major setback to Japanese-Soviet relations. Moscow saw it as placing Tokyo with Washington and Beijing firmly in the anti-Soviet camp. Soviet actions served only to alarm and alienate the Japanese side. The 1980s Soviet military buildup in the Pacific was a case in point.
The 1980s saw a decided hardening in Japanese attitudes toward the Soviet Union. Japan was pressed by the United States to do more to check the expansion of Soviet power in the developing world following the December 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. It responded by cutting off contacts beneficial to the Soviet regime and providing assistance to "front line" states, such as Pakistan and Thailand. Under Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, Japan worked hard to demonstrate a close identity of views with the Reagan administration on the "Soviet threat". Japan steadily built up its military forces, welcomed increases in United States forces in Japan and the western Pacific, and pledged close cooperation to deal with the danger posed by Soviet power.
This economic cooperation was interrupted by Japan's decision in 1980 to participate in sanctions against the Soviet Union for its invasion of Afghanistan and by its actions to hold in abeyance a number of projects being negotiated, to ban the export of some high-technology items, and to suspend Siberian development loans. Subsequently, Japanese interest in economic cooperation with the Soviet Union waned as Tokyo found alternative suppliers and remained uncertain about the economic viability and political stability of the Soviet Union under Gorbachev. Japan-Soviet trade in 1988 was valued at nearly US$6 billion.
Although public and media opinion remained skeptical of the danger to Japan posed by Soviet forces in Asia, there was strong opposition in Japan to Moscow's refusal to accede to Japan's claims to the Northern Territories, known to the Japanese as
The advent of the Mikhail Gorbachev regime in Moscow in 1985 saw a replacement of hard-line Soviet government diplomats who were expert in Asian affairs with more flexible spokespersons calling for greater contact with Japan. Gorbachev took the lead in promising new initiatives in Asia, but the substance of Soviet policy changed more slowly. Gorbachev was consistently uncompromising regarding the Northern Territories.[17] Furthermore, Soviet forces in the western Pacific still seemed focused on and threatening to Japan, and Soviet economic troubles and lack of foreign exchange made prospects for Japan-Soviet Union economic relations appear poor. By 1990, Japan appeared to be the least enthusiastic of the major Western-aligned developed countries in encouraging greater contacts with and assistance to the Soviet Union.
Changes in Soviet policy carried out under Gorbachev beginning in the mid-1980s, including attempts at domestic reform and the pursuit of détente with the United States and Western Europe, elicited generally positive Japanese interest, but the Japanese government held that Moscow had not changed its policies on issues vital to Japan. The government stated that it would not conduct normal relations with the Soviet Union until Moscow returned the Northern Territories. The government and Japanese business leaders stated further that Japanese trade with and investment in the Soviet Union would not grow appreciably until the Northern Territories issue has been resolved.
Early post-Soviet era (1991–1999)
By the late 1990s, the Russian leadership began to pivot from West to East, considering improving relations with Japan as part of this effort, and viewed Prime Minister
On July 30, 1998, the newly elected Japanese prime minister
Current relations (1999–present)
In March 2014, following
On 27 April 2018, in Moscow was held the fourth Russia-Japan forum dubbed The Points of Convergence, where the sides discussed pressing issues concerning the two countries’ trade and economic relations. Toshihiro Nikai, the secretary general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was the forum's special guest, read out Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's address at the event's opening ceremony. Participants discussed the two countries’ tourism cooperation, investment projects for the Far East and other Russian regions, as well as interaction in the areas of infrastructure, technology and energy industry.[21]
On June 23, 2018, Russia and Japan inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Russia's Far Eastern Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) to expand cooperation between the two countries.[22]
In June 2018, Japan's Princess Hisako Takamado travelled to Russia to cheer on her national team at the FIFA World Cup. She is the first member of the Imperial family to come to Russia since 1916.[citation needed]
In November 2019, Japan's foreign minister stated he would visit Russia in December for talks about a formal World War Two peace treaty, in an effort to improve relations.[24]
On March 7, 2022, in a House of Councillors Budget Committee session Japan's Prime Minister
Despite suggestions from LDP lawmakers, prime minister Kishida did not abolish the post of Minister for Economic Cooperation with Russia in the August 2022 reshuffle.[28] The newly appointed minister Yasutoshi Nishimura stated there is no policy change in keeping interests in the Sakhalin-II oil and gas project in Russia,[29] one of the world's largest integrated oil and gas projects owned by Gazprom, Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi.[30]
Kuril Islands dispute
Relations between Russia and Japan since the end of World War II have been defined by the dispute over sovereignty of the Kuril Islands and concluding a peace treaty. In the spring of 1992 the Russian General Staff received reports that the Japanese began discussing the possible return of the northern territories. President Boris Yeltsin was considering giving up the Southern Kurils in 1992.[31] Throughout the 1990s, efforts were made to come to some agreement by President Yeltsin and Prime Minister Keizō Obuchi. One of the goals of the Obuchi was to sign a peace treaty with Russia by 2000, which he did not achieve. He visited Russia in November 1998.[32]
On August 16, 2006, Russian maritime authorities killed a Japanese fisherman and captured a crab fishing boat in the waters around the disputed Kuril Islands. The Russian foreign ministry has claimed that the death was caused by a "stray bullet".[33]
On September 28, 2006,
The dispute over the Southern Kuril Islands deteriorated Russo-Japan relations when the Japanese government published a new guideline for school textbooks on July 16, 2008, to teach Japanese children that their country has sovereignty over the Kuril Islands. The Russian public was generally outraged by the action and demanded the government to counteract. The Foreign Ministry of Russia announced on July 18, 2008 "[these actions] contribute neither to the development of positive cooperation between the two countries, nor to the settlement of the dispute," and reaffirmed its sovereignty over the islands.[35]
In 2010,
In November 2013, Japan held its first ever diplomatic talks with the Russian Federation, and the first with Moscow since the year 1973.[36]
In September 2017, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin met at Eastern Economic Forum, which held at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok. The main reason of meeting was approving joint economic activities on disputed islands off Hokkaido. In their talks the two leaders decided to sign off on joint projects in five areas — aquaculture, greenhouse farming, tourism, wind power and waste reduction.[37]
At the 2018
The outbreak of the
Military cooperation
The Russian Chief of General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, visited Tokyo in mid-December 2017 to meet with his Japanese counterpart, Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano. He stated that there would be more than thirty joint military drills held by Russia and Japan in 2018.[1][5] Russia's military chief, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, warned Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera in Tokyo that military exercises conducted by the United States around the Korean Peninsula will destabilize the region. Apparently with such exercises in mind, Gerasimov told Onodera at the outset of their talks, “Exercises in surrounding areas would increase tension and bring instability.” Onodera sought Russia's cooperation in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations, saying Moscow has “big clout” with North Korea.[45]
See also
- Russians in Japan
- Japanese people in Russia
- Empire of Japan–Russian Empire relations
- Japan–Soviet Union relations
- International relations of the Great Powers (1814–1919)
- Diplomatic history of World War I
- International relations (1919–1939)
- Diplomatic history of World War II
- Cold War
- International relations since 1989
References
- ^ a b c Majumdar, Dave (12 December 2017). Could Russia and Japan Finally Settle Their Island Dispute?. The National Interest. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- ^ "Russia adds Japan to "unfriendly" countries, regions list in sanctions countermeasure", The Mainichi, March 8, 2022, retrieved 23 September 2023
- ^ "РОССИЙСКО-ЯПОНСКИЕ ОТНОШЕНИЯ". Levada. November 30, 2018.
- ^ "Publics Worldwide Unfavorable Toward Putin, Russia". Pew Research Center. October 16, 2017.
- ^ Nikkei Asian Review. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- ^ Mochizuki, Takashi (2013-04-26). "Japan Seeks Closer Russia Ties - WSJ". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
- ^ Japan-Russia Year of Culture 2018 to feature grand exhibitions. TASS. Published 25 November 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- AP News.
- ^ Victor A. Yakhontoff, Russia And The Soviet Union In The Far East (1932) online
- ^ Tatiana Ornatskaya, et al. "More About the History of Foreign Intervention in the Russian Far East in 1921-1922." Far Eastern Affairs (2006) 34#4 pp 117–132.
- ^ Harriet L. Moore, Soviet Far Eastern Policy, 1931-1945 (Princeton UP, 1945). online
- ^ John Walker, "Soviet Invasion of Manchuria." Military Heritage (Aug 2010) 12#1 pp 50–57.
- ^ Yokote Shinji, "Soviet repatriation policy, US occupation authorities, and Japan's entry into the cold war." Journal of Cold War Studies 15.2 (2013): 30-50.
- ^ Shengfa Zhang, "The Soviet-Sino boycott of the American-led peace settlement with Japan in the early 1950s." Russian History 29.2/4 (2002): 401-414.
- ^ Viktor Pavliatenko, "The Difficult Road to Peace. On the 50th Anniversary of the Signing of the Joint Soviet-Japanese Declaration." Far Eastern Affairs: A Russian Journal on China, Japan and Asia-Pacific Region 34.4 (2006) pp 77–100.
- ^ Kimie Hara, Japanese-Soviet/Russian Relations since 1945: A Difficult Peace (1998)
- ^ Kazuhiko Togo, "The inside story of the negotiations on the Northern Territories: five lost windows of opportunity." Japan Forum 23#1 (2011) pp 123–-145.
- ISBN 9780230601734. pp. 91–95.
- ^ "TASS: Russia - Japan halts consultations on easing visa regime with Russia". En.itar-tass.com. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
- ^ "Japan breaks several Ties with Russia over Crimea crisis". IANS. News.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- ^ "Russia, Japan to discuss bilateral relations at Moscow forum". TASS. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
- ^ "Russia, Japan sign MOU on cooperation - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
- ^ "Russia outlines plan for 'unfriendly' investors to sell up at half-price". Reuters. 30 December 2022.
- ^ "Japan foreign minister to visit Russia to discuss formal WWII treaty: official". Reuters. 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
- ^ "PM Kishida describes islets disputed with Russia as Japan's 'inherent territory'". Mainichi Daily News. 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
- ^ "Japan unveils new sanctions on Russians, bans refinery equipment exports". Reuters. 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
- ^ "Japan revokes Russia's 'most favored' status over Ukraine". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
- ^ "「ロシア経済協力相」ポスト存続 岸田首相:時事ドットコム". 時事ドットコム (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ "New industry minister vows to secure stable energy supply in Japan". Mainichi Daily News. 2022-08-11. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ "Sakhalin-2 – an overview". www.shell.com. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ Baranets, Viktor (24 January 2019). Как военный обозреватель «КП» спас Курилы от сдачи Японии Ельциным. (in Russian). Komsomolskaya Pravda. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
- ^ Yeltsin to give answer on isle row when Obuchi visits. The Japan Times. Published 13 October 1998. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
- ^ Justin McCurry. "Japanese fisherman killed in Kuril dispute | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
- ^ "Itar-Tass". Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2006-09-29.
- ^ "Russia hopes to solve territorial dispute with Japan by strengthening trust_English_Xinhua". News.xinhuanet.com. 2008-07-19. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
- ^ "First diplomatic talks between Japan, Russia result in strengthened security cooperation". The Japan Daily Press. 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
- ^ "Abe and Putin likely to sign off on economic projects on disputed isles". The Japan Times. 2017-09-06. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
- ^ "Japan Rejects Putin's Offer to Abe of Peace Treaty by Year-End". Bloomberg. 12 September 2018. Archived from the original on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ^ Kimie Hara, 50 Years from San Francisco: Re-Examining the Peace Treaty and Japan's Territorial Problems. Pacific Affairs, Vol. 74, No. 3 (Autumn, 2001), pp. 361–382. Available online at J-STOR.
- Japan Times, March 24, 2005.
- ^ "Abe: accelerate negotiations on peace treaty". NHK World-Japan. NHK. 2018-11-14. Archived from the original on 2018-11-14. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
- ^ "After Ukraine, Japan reverts to old line on Russian-controlled islands". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ "北方領土は「固有の領土」 岸田首相". Jiji Press. March 7, 2022. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022.
- ^ "Japan renews island dispute with Russia". Yahoo News (Australian Associated Press). 8 March 2022. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022.
- ^ Russian military chief warns Japan over U.S. exercises near Korean Peninsula, japantimes.co.jp DEC 11 December 2017.
- General
- This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Country Studies. Federal Research Division. - Japan
Further reading
- Allison, Graham, Hiroshi Kimura and Konstantin Sarkisov, eds. Beyond Cold War to Trilateral Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region: Scenarios for new relationships between Japan, Russia, and the United States (Harvard University Press, 1993)
- Brown, James D.J. "Japan's foreign relations with Russia." in James D.J. Brown and Jeff Kingston, eds. Japan's Foreign Relations in Asia (2018): 248–61.
- Brown, James D.J. Japan, Russia and their territorial dispute: The northern delusion. (Routledge, 2016).
- Ferguson, Joseph. Japanese-Russian Relations, 1907-2007 (Routledge, 2008)
- Hara, Kimie. Japanese-Soviet/Russian Relations since 1945: A Difficult Peace (1998) online
- Hasegawa, Tsuyoshi. The Northern Territories Dispute And Russo-Japanese Relations" volume 1: Between War and Peace, 1697-1985 (Research Series-Institute Of International Studies University Of California Berkeley (1998).
- Hasegawa, Tsuyoshi. The Northern Territories Dispute And Russo-Japanese Relations: Volume 2-Neither War Nor Peace, 1985-1998. (Research Series-Institute Of International Studies University Of California Berkeley (1998).
- Hyodo, Shinji. "Russia's Strategic Concerns in the Arctic and Its Impact on Japan–Russia Relations." Strategic Analysis 38.6 (2014): 860–871.
- Kimura, Hiroshi. Japanese-Russian Relations Under Brezhnev and Andropov (M.E. Sharpe. 2000)
- Kimura, Hiroshi. Japanese-Russian Relations Under Gorbachev and Yeltsin (Routledge, 2016).
- Moore, Harriet L. Soviet Far Eastern Policy, 1931-1945 (Princeton UP, 1945). online
- Rozman, Gilbert and Sergey Radchenko, eds. International Relations and Asia's Northern Tier (Palgrave, Singapore, 2018) excerpt
- Rozman, Gilbert, ed. Japan and Russia: The Tortuous Path to Normalization, 1949-1999 (2000)
- Yakhontoff, Victor A. Russia And The Soviet Union In The Far East (1932) online
External links
- Embassy of Japan in Moscow
- Consulate-General of Japan in Khabarovsk
- Consulate-General of Japan in Saint Petersburg
- Consulate-General of Japan in Vladivostok
- Consulate-General of Japan in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
- Embassy of the Russian Federation in Tokyo
- Consulate-General of the Russian Federation in Sapporo
- Database of Russian-Japanese relations