Translated material
Dialogue without territories
Tokyo seeks strategic relationship with Moscow
The first round of strategic dialogue between Russia and Japan began in Moscow yesterday. The conversation is conducted by the first deputy heads of the diplomatic departments of the two countries - Andrei Denisov and Shiotaro Yati. Their meeting may continue today. Yesterday, late in the evening, Mr. Yati was received by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He and his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso agreed on a strategic dialogue between the two countries in November 2006 at the APEC summit in Vietnam. The idea was immediately approved by President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who met in Hanoi, and took office in September 2006.Moscow and Tokyo demonstrate a desire to improve relations, but this is hampered by a long-standing territorial dispute. Let us recall that Japan lays claim to the Southern Kuril Islands, which were transferred to Russia following the Second World War. Before Mr. Yati's arrival, the Japanese press copiously quoted "reliable sources" in the country's Foreign Ministry, who claimed that the territorial problem was included in the agenda of the Moscow meeting. But yesterday, Mr. Denisov was forced to emphasize twice: “The format of this dialogue does not include a discussion of the territorial problem. It is inappropriate to bring this topic into strategic dialogue.”
The Russian diplomat said that the purpose of the current meeting is “to look at major global and regional problems from a long-term perspective, to develop a response strategy and, if possible, mutual coordination of actions.” Among these problems are Pyongyang's nuclear program and reform of the UN, whose Security Council Japan seeks to join on a permanent basis. Mr. Yati said he “shares his colleague’s view that the strategic dialogue opens a new page in bilateral relations,” which “should be bright and bright.”
Shiotaro Yachi, who arrived in Moscow, was an experienced diplomat who was tasked with communicating with the Chinese and Koreans, who were outraged by Tokyo’s attempts to revive the militaristic spirit of imperial Japan. He worked hard to prepare the unexpected conciliatory visits of Prime Minister Abe to Beijing and Seoul in October 2006.
It is noteworthy that just yesterday the Japanese news agency Kyodo Tsushin, citing sources in the Japanese government, reported Abe’s plans to meet with Putin in Russia this year. The purpose of the visit, the timing of which may become clear during Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov’s trip to Japan in February, is to build strategic partnership relations and “search on this basis for a breakthrough in resolving the territorial problem.” The Prime Minister is expected to talk about this in a keynote speech in the Japanese Diet the day after tomorrow.
“By strategic dialogue we must understand the desire of Russia and Japan to attach greater importance to the development of cooperation and, even in the context of the unresolved territorial problem, to show that they have other matters to discuss,” Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, orientalist Vasily Mikheev told Vremya Novostei. According to the expert, the Japanese prime minister realized that Tokyo’s past attempts to get a permanent member of the UN Security Council were “naive.” Now the time has come for practical action, including in the Russian direction. “The territorial issue will not be resolved, and the Japanese are well aware of this. Prime Minister Abe needs to show that Tokyo has strategic relations with Moscow as one of the world players in order to indicate Japan’s active and strong position in world and East Asian politics,” believes Mr. Mikheev.