Sergey Lavrov, & Seiji Maehara
Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara visited Moscow and held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov amid intensifying conflicts and mutual distrust between the two countries over sovereignty of the Northern Territories.
High-ranking officials of the Russian government, including the defense minister, have visited the Russian-held Northern Territories since President Dmitry Medvedev stepped on Kunashiri Island in November last year.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan has criticized their visits to the islands claimed by Tokyo as an outrage that is barely tolerable. The Russian president responded by describing the islands as an inalienable part of Russian territory, and instructed the Defense Ministry to move ahead with its military buildup on the islands.
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High on the agenda during the foreign ministerial talks was the sovereignty over the Northern Territories. At the outset of the meeting, Lavrov expressed displeasure at Prime Minister Kan's remarks saying, "I wanted to hold talks with you amid a friendly atmosphere, but it's regrettable that we can't."
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In response, Maehara told Lavrov that the territorial dispute is an issue that both countries should try their best to overcome. He then asserted the Japanese government's position that the Northern Territories belong to Japan in light of history and international laws.
The foreign ministers agreed to hold discussions on bilateral economic cooperation for the four islands off Hokkaido on the premise that Japan's legal position will be respected.
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At a news conference following the meeting, however, Lavrov pointed to the possibility that Russia will promote economic cooperation also with China and South Korea on the islands.
Maehara voiced opposition to the idea saying, "It'd be inconsistent with Japan's position."
It is a matter of course that Maehara emphasized Japan's basic position on sovereignty over the Northern Territories and economic cooperation for the development of the islands.
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At the same time, however, the territorial dispute is an issue extremely difficult to settle, and no progress will be made without top-level inter-governmental negotiations between the two countries. The two foreign ministers' pledge to hold consultations on the issue under a peaceful environment should be appreciated.
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In order to settle the territorial dispute, the two countries are required to halt a downward spiral of mutual distrust and create an environment for negotiations. Tokyo and Moscow must increase their efforts to achieve this to enable a visit to Moscow by the Japanese prime minister. It goes without saying that the Japanese government must step up its diplomacy toward Russia.
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Moscow appears to be dissatisfied with Japan's inadequate diplomatic policy toward Russia in recent years. In fact, the prime minister of Japan has not visited Russia since the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) took over the reins of government in September 2009, and Maehara's latest visit is the first by a Japanese foreign minister since December 2009. Medvedev may have no choice but to take a tough line on the territorial issue as he is seeking re-election in the presidential race in 2012.
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Still, Russia's move to strengthen its rule of the Northern Territories through enhancing its militaristic and economic presence would only aggravate the situation. Medvedev should be aware that Russian officials' words and deeds have chilled bilateral relations.
In the latest talks, Maehara and Lavrov discussed the strengthening of bilateral relations in the economic field such as natural resources and energy. The promotion of bilateral economic exchanges will benefit Japan's economy and Japanese companies. It would be wrong to view the promotion of Japan's economic cooperation with Russia merely as Tokyo's unilateral compromise with Moscow.
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Foreign Minister Maehara regards economic diplomacy as the core of his overall diplomatic policy, and the territorial issue and economy are so-called "two wheels of one cart" in Japan's diplomatic policy toward Russia. However, he should take care not to give the public the impression that the promotion of bilateral economic relations as part of Japan's Russia policy could decrease the seriousness of the territorial dispute. A thoughtful approach to bilateral relations is required.
Click here for the original Japanese story