Abe pledges to resolve island dispute with Russia

The islands are administered by russia but claimed by japan. Putin likes to conduct military trainings ops on those islands. And as long as japan imposes santions against russia for its actions in Ukraine, there will be no hope to resolve the island dispute. Nice try for Abe tho. PM certainly got a lot on his hands these days. . . .

How to resolve the the island dispute. Shut up, Abe.

I guess it would be the best time to try to buy them back, since Russia and Putin is strapped for cash. Russian financial crisis is Japan's opportunity.

Not going to happen. Putin is an expansionist.

Abe too? Every PM the past 10 or so years "pledges" the same thing. When they start receiving bullets in the mail, if you know what I mean, they pass the potato to the next one.

I think Abe is simply deluded but it's interesting to think about what a resolution would look like. There would be many practical problems. What happens to the Russians who live there now and want to stay? Do they get the choice of becoming Japanese citizens and does the government then provide Russian language schools, government services and courts? Does Russian become an official minority language? Are we going to have a new Russian speaking Diet member elected?

Assuming Japan will abide by the UN and other human rights treaties it's signed in the decades after WW2, making a deal with Russia to remove and ethnically cleanse the current population or turning them into 'special permanent residents' is probably not an option.

If the Senkakus are Japanese because Japan occupies them, it is logical that the Kuriles belong to Russia because Russia occupies them.

Look at a map of Russia and Japan. As you can see, Russia, with its cmparatively small land area, clearly needs these islands, one of which if you draw lines perpendicular from the tip nearest Japan, the lines hit Japan.

Another Abe pledge -- the nail in the coffin.

"Soviet troops seized the islands just after Japan surrendered in World War II and Tokyo says the islands are now illegally occupied by Russia."

It doesn't matter what Japan thinks is illegal or not on this issue so long as other nations -- Russia first and foremost -- don't recognize Japan's claims. Does Japan recognize China's stance that the former illegally claims the Senkakus? Nope. Japan may have surrendered to the US before Russia ceased the islands, but the war between Russia and Japan, and the war in general, was not yet over. Spoils of war, and with Russia having lived on and administered the islands for the better part of a century, they are for better or worse, Russian. Abe's... what?... tenth pledge on this issue? won't change anything. It'll just be another of his many failures to do what he promises in a simple attempt at popularity grubbing. His provocation of the hostages has put a dent in his popularity, and that is what this is about.

Abe pledges to resolve island dispute with Russia

This isn't hard - give it up. The Japanese really don't have a case after they wrote in a 1952 treaty they'd give up all claims on those islands.

Japan lost the islands fair and square. That is how war works. Now if only China would realize that.

A ridiculous pledge as Russians only understand force. You could try and buy them I guess, but Putin doesn't seem to be a very good businessman. Still worth remembering though to annoy the bullys of the world.

Another example of "Japanese policy in denial". Abe is just paying lip service to the locals, he is in no position to negotiate with Russia any time soon. Sure, this time last year Abe was at the Sochi Olympics smooching with Vlad at America's behest. However, since then relations have definitely cooled with the Ukrainian crisis, etc. Irrespective of the claims that Japan has, nothing is going to happen.

Putin has seized Crimea, and he is carving some part of Ukraine off too. Would such a person give up something that is right squarely in Russian hands just because Abe comes as a supplicant armed with a pledge? Get real, Shinzo.

This is just about the only issue where I feel I have to basically agree with Abe or most of the past prime ministers. Russia took these islands by force towards the end of the war, unilaterally breaking the non-invasion treaty the two countries had at the time. The Japanese people living on the islands were forced to leave their islands literally at gunpoint.

Abe just want to keep hope alive....

How to resolve the the island dispute. Shut up, Abe.

Very good advice. One may hope the Prime Minister heeds it

February 7th is Hoppouryoudo (Northern Territory) Day. Every year, a Prime Minister of Japan makes an open end pledge to resolve the territorial dispute with Russia. It is annual routine and no news.

It is annual routine and no news.

On this point I for once find myself in agreement. I'm surprised JT considers this topic newsworthy

"Japan lost the islands fair and square"

You call the Russians seizing the islands from an utterly defeated Japan at the end of the war fair and square?

Offer to buy them fair and square (even in installments). Afterall Russia is bleeding money now.

Resolve the island dispute with Russia. Resolve the island dispute with Korea. Don't resolve the island dispute with China because there is no island dispute to begin with.

Makes sense much...

As miussh as I like PM Abe, I have to say thhat he is deluded if he thinks those Rusian barbarians,, who are currently destabalising Ukraiine, will return any of the islands back to Japan. Let tthe sanctions on putin and his ilk continuue