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Russia calls U.S.-Japan alliance impediment to peace treaty talks

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Being essentially one big US military base makes Japan one big military target and doesn't make me feel any safer in the least.

0 ( +12 / -12 )

Abe is no peace PM.

-10 ( +6 / -16 )

Japan is right to choose her allies, and the relationship with USA is the best, closest and strongest ally any two nations in the world have. Sorry Russia, the USA-Japan partnership is unbreakable.

10 ( +19 / -9 )

Ha ha! Yeah, Putin would do that - his foreign policy centers around unraveling the US-led Western post-WWII security apparatus.

But Trump will not be president forever, nor Abe prime minister. Friends may be temporary; interests are permanent, as the saying goes. Putin has taken a bridge too far here.

7 ( +12 / -5 )

Russian sanctions are working. Good.

9 ( +15 / -6 )

theFu    Russian sanctions are working. Good.-----------------------------------------------

Yeah, they have made Russia stronger and more trusted by the non western war mongers. Improved energy supplies and non GMO food exports. Enough agriculture to feed their own people and strong exports of other goods around the world. Putin, the only sane leader in the world today.

-8 ( +5 / -13 )

I wouldn't sever the US-Japan Treaty if I were him. That'd be stupid. Being surrounded by NK, China, and Russia that'd be the stupidest thing to do. None of these three countries have done nor will do anything for Japan. All they do is antagonize Japan.

And Putin want Abe to turn its back on the US that supports and protects Japan? Good luck with that. Putin is just trying to strong arm Abe which is pretty much the only kind of relationship you can have with Russia.

8 ( +14 / -6 )

China and Russia loving it...

Be careful Japan and Japanese people Im not saying everything the US does it great but... Hmmm who to partner with, US who has been partner for a long time and is also with other mostly successful democratic country right next door, or countries that are CURRENTLY "annexing" and demanding control over areas, being militarily aggressive, have questionable human rights and go out of their way to restrict their citizens access to information..

3 ( +8 / -5 )

@Speed

I wouldn't sever the US-Japan Treaty if I were him. That'd be stupid. Being surrounded by NK, China, and Russia that'd be the stupidest thing to do. None of these three countries have done nor will do anything for Japan. All they do is antagonize Japan.

I believe that has something to do with the Japanese antagonising them all FIRST!

And Putin want Abe to turn its back on the US that supports and protects Japan? Good luck with that. Putin is just trying to strong arm Abe which is pretty much the only kind of relationship you can have with Russia.

Agreed, which is why Abe should simply back off until they want to normalise ties with Japan or need to finalise a peace treaty. Russia only understands a big stick which Japan has not really got except through its alliance with the US.

-14 ( +0 / -14 )

Abe has met Putin twelve times and nothing was achieved. But it may be a good thing for Japan that Russia has stiffened it standce on the territorial negotiations, since Abe , in exchange for an immediate return of the two bigger islands, was on the verge of selling off the rest of the Northern Territories to Russia.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

Vlad is going to have to learn to "live with the outcome of WWII".

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Nce try Putin, how about the sanctions increase instead ya goof

5 ( +9 / -4 )

TThe sanctions against Russia are about annexation of Ukraine. Japan can only reduce sanctions when Russia rescinds

6 ( +10 / -4 )

LOL.

Well, of course Putin would say that.

I think the appropriate response is: Japan will never sacrifice its security alliance with the U.S. just to improve its relationship with Russia. Its non-negotiable.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Putins clumsy attempt to end the Japan-US alliance will end in disappointment for him.

But it seems its ok for Russia and China to get cosy and for Russia to sell high tech equipment to China. S-400 missile system, SU-35s fighter/interceptor jets and more.

Abe will not fall for it. Nor should he.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

LOL! Appropriate for whom?

Well, not appropriate if you support Russia, obviously!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@ganbare

For sure the US is Japan's closest ally, that is because it is Japan's only ally. Sadly over 50 years of LDP rule has ensured that absolutely no one else trusts Japan. If indeed the US does - look up the 5 eyes. Hint: Japan is not one of them.

The US has plenty of allies. It belongs to the 29 nation NATO which of course contains that other WWII villain Germany. This is not to mention ANZUS on Japan's doorstep. The 5000km border with Canada makes it far more important for US security than distant Japan.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

calling Tokyo's security alliance with the United States a threat

True enough: it's a threat to Russia's plans to bully Japan and anyone else it sees as weak, much like China does. The US might be run by a moron now but that's not going to last, and the US is still a strong counter to Russia. It'll be even stronger when Trump gets ousted (only a matter of time).

Improved energy supplies and non GMO food exports. Enough agriculture to feed their own people and strong exports of other goods around the world.

Improved energy supplies? Hardly. Russia's energy infrastructure is quite archaic, and not altogether reliable or stable. Enough agriculture to feed their own people? Technically true, and yet there are no shortage of starving Russians as the government picks and chooses who has the right to eat. The ones who fall into step with Putin get to eat, the ones seeking democracy and peace get to starve. Strong exports around the world? Again, hardly. They export plenty of weapons to China, to terrorists and to other dictators that Putin praises, but aside from that they don't have much to export, nor many people wanting to import from them. The sanctions are definitely working. Russia's military, which was already underfunded and poorly maintained, continues to degrade except in the "heart" of the country, where Putin is most protected by it. Elsewhere the hardware is outdated and falling apart, the soldiers are underpaid and poorly trained, and the bases are heading slowly but inexorably towards a defunct status. Putin needs to change his behaviour to get the sanctions lifted, but he won't since he'd be letting the whole world know that the sanctions are working, and that he's too weak and incompetent to keep his country going with the sanctions in place.

Putin, the only sane leader in the world today.

Far from it. He's a power hungry old dog, a relic of the Cold War era that refuses to modernise and join civilization. The only world leaders less sane than Putin are Trump and Kim Jong Fatty. Spare us your Russian propeganda.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Putin's got a steep hill to climb if he wants to drive a wedge between the US and Japan. Put simply, It's a waste of time.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

@christopher

Same policy as the LDP have followed since the 60s then: gaman.

Better than messing with the constitution I guess.

I am afraid the upcoming US-Japan trade talks, which you do not mention, may throw a spanner in the works though.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The US has NOT and is NOT a partner if Japan. it is Japans master, Japans occupier. The us has made Japan a target by having its bases in Japan, it makes Japan contribute of US defence and places tariffs on Japanese exports. As Trump said: America First, and, consequently, everyone else go to hell.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

There will be no peace treaty with Russia. Abe might as well save his time and effort on more useful objectives.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Can you tell how full of BS Russia is?

Being ally with US its not a secret, Russia is playing Japan for a fool. Including Abe for wanting to settle this issue like his father tried to do.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Good ole divide and conquer. Does Abe choose his islands or US bases?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

After World War 2, East Germany was also a disputed territory which the Russians eventually gave back . . . so too should Russia consider giving back the disputed islands North of Japan.  Russia will be viewed better Internationally, if they sign a peace treaty recognizing Japan -- doing so, is keeping in step with modernity.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

happyhere: "For sure the US is Japan's closest ally". It seems Japan has forgotten the deeds of their "ally". The US, the bastion of democracy dropped two H-bombs on Japanese civilians just to show Russia they had such arms. This same bastion of democracy then used the Japanese people as Guineapigs to study the effects of radiation. The same bastion of democracy did the same in the Marshall/Bikini Islands. And, again, the Same bastion of democracy, the US, sprayed civilians, including women and children with Agent Orange, Theses Vietnamese civilians are still suffering from birth defects. The US is ally, friend, to no one!

0 ( +3 / -3 )

At the end of WW II, the USSR wanted to be able to occupy and control half of the Japanese homeland. The US said no. They have been unhappy with the way the US and Japan get along ever since.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

There's not really a lot that can happen here. Japan and US aren't going to end their alliance any time soon, much to the ire of Russia, China and North Korea. Putin can say what he likes, but he won't get anywhere with it. It just shows that he never truly had any interest in progressing with a peace treaty with Japan. He just wanted to see if Abe would jump through any hoops, and has been disappointed with the results so far. Hence he throws this up as a convenient obstacle. He knows the US-Japan alliance won't end, but he's scapegoating that to admit that he never wanted the peace treaty to go ahead in the first place. A shame, but it can't be helped. Not unless Russia appoints a modern, civilised and democratic leader rather than a Cold Ware era relic.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

@Jtsnose

After World War 2, East Germany was also a disputed territory which the Russians eventually gave back . . . 

Sorry. The Soviets certainly did not give back East Germany. No offense meant, but have you ever studied history? I suggest you read historians who have accessed Soviet-era archives. They are eye-opening.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@Akie

Abe is no peace PM.

That’s fitting. “Si vis pacem, para bellum.”

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Mr.Putin have had enough the orgies from Mr.Abe! It's time for him to show  "Face-Off"!  NO WAY! NO PEACE! NO RETURN KURILES!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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