Abe vows to take step-by-step approach to resolve territorial dispute with Russia

Abe needs to understand that from Russia's viewpoint, there IS no territorial dispute. All there is, is a need for a peace treaty to wrap up WWII regarding Japan and Russia.

Japan want's four Russian islands that used to be Japanese. There is no incentive for Russia to give any of them back. Japan is after all a reliable ally of the US which is the enemy of Russia.

I can see into the future...nothing will happen...

I know this isn't what Japan wants to hear, but those islands are never coming back. Russia is going to use those islands for militarily strategic purposes and build defenses on them (if I remember correctly, they already have).

Russia will never ever ever cede the islands back to Japan. It's never going to happen.

That suggestion angered Russian nationalists, and last month Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned Japan it must recognize the islands as part of Russia as a starting point for talks.

He said a fair bit more than that. Foreign minister said that only Japan can't abide by the results of WWII as another attempt at a clear absolute direct message to Abe's government that no change is going to happen. Russia just wants the technicality of the war to be over. No other steps will occur

Step one forget, step two don't try, step three accept reality, step four move on.

J democracy

Whats this democracy you speak of? Abe has dodged more scandals than can possibly be counted. If japan was truly democratic, he'd not be PM at all. Japanese need to borrow a leaf from South Korea about how to deal with wayward leadership

Japan you are being played for a fool. First S. Korea does it to you, now the Russians too. They probably learned from Korea how to handle this situation.

Dear oh dear, all this negative comment! No doubt Abe will apply his successful diplomatic techniques and use his powers of persuasion that have won him so much success in the economic field.

(Sarcasm)

This has nothing to do with Japan as a whole. This society could care less. US puppets Abe to press heat on Russia publicly, that's all. Typical game a thrones.

Scapegoat with Russia, just the other day the scandal about the underwaged workers, 10%GST increase in Sep looming which will destroy the youth here.. scapegoat and slide your way out of everything, our PM in a nutshell..

Here we go again, Abe vowing this and that when he just vowed again to work on relations with NK towards solving the abduction issue and Following whatever the US (and Trump loves Kim) does. So, when Trump kisses Kim's butt, how's Abe going to claim he's solving any issues? Now it's back to Russia after Putin and other ministers said flat out Japan is not getting the islands back and has to accept it. Must be an election or issue coming up Abe needs support on.

We will be seeing this same headline in 2039, Japan looking for return of the islands and Russia blowing them off.

Senkaku belongs to us, not your China and not your deng dong

Cogito ergo - thanks for the links. Interesting inside into the feeling within Russia.

Not sure how comprehensive such a feeling (in the vids) is across Russia, but if it's widespread then Abe & Co have buckleys chance now and for ever more.

The topics photo above says it all - giving the appearance of a memorial service for something long long gone. Just a play to the crowds to create an image of "Good ol' Days Japan".

I'm getting tired laughing at Abe's empty promises, facile urges and broken assurances.

comedy at its best(worst?)

Akie-san,

In a rapid changing world, only adaptive ones will survive. Luckily, Japan has an adaptive Abe.

Your post was sarcastic too, I guess.

Wish them luck . Please enjoy.

https://youtu.be/dbE2gTM0keM

https://youtu.be/0U_h-b2GcOI

Good luck, Mr. Abe.

I read somewhere that the former Soviet Union offered to return part of the islands in the past to Japan...why didn't they take it back then...? just some sort of stupid pride?

Its not even a „who was there first? the Zsarists or the Bafuku“

An area as remote was of interest to no one until the second half of the 18hundreds; thats Meiji age in local terms.

After that warfare made borders.

@tinawatanabe oh no wonder...they meddling and screwing things up as usual...

Cogito - thanks for the links. From the first one:

"What is there to dispute about? They're ours and that's it."

Yeah! Might makes right!

From the second one:

"The Kurile Islands are our territory."

Yeah! Might makes right!

the former Soviet Union offered to return part of the islands in the past to Japan...why didn't they take it back then...? just some sort of stupid pride?

USA objected it.

Serrano: "Yeah! Might makes right!"

This, from a Trump supporter. It's not about "might", or at least it's not that simple. They took the islands (a couple BACK, which had earlier been taken by Japan) at the end of the war (not after it was finished, but in the waning days). They have since administered, and for a long time have lived on them. That's all there is to it. Japan uses administration of 70+ years as it's fall-back Reason for the Senkaku islands being theirs, and I doubt very much you'd be mock-chanting "might makes right!" against the Japanese government's assertion that allowing Okinawa to separate because they had occupied it long ago was absurd.

In any case, they are Russian islands for a whole slough of reasons, and as the RUssian ambassador said last time Abe and his cronies brought this up, the sooner Japan accepts history, the better.

Russia will never return them as long as there is the slightest danger of the US military building a base there (which is something that they do not rule out)

First - Kiss Putin's A**,  Next - make some economic concessions   Then - make some more concessions  Finally - get one or 2 flyspecks back.

sounds like a great plan.

Invade and take back Hoppo Ryodo sounds more likely to succeed.

41 years ago, when Japan and China negotiated peace treaty, there was Senkaku issue. It was Deng who offered "step by step" approach to resolve the problem, saying that "let future generation to resolve it because they will be smarter than old generation". Abe had learned some wisdoms from Deng's teaching.

In a rapid changing world, only adaptive ones will survive. Luckily, Japan has an adaptive Abe.