politics

Putin says Abe told him peace treaty proposal not possible

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Agree with Mark and Saiko on this one. And allow me a very unusal post of praise for Abe: he stood up to Putin and said no. Good on him for doing that.

Abe very much understands global politics to the point where he realizes that a Peace Treaty with Russia is worth more to Russia than to Japan. Japan gets nothing out of the deal while Russia gets to sow the seeds of doubt around the world that the relationship between Japan and the USA is weakening.

Not only that. Russia is now a pariah in the west due to Crimea, Ukraine, and Syria. So its Putin that needs friends far more than Abe needs this useless treaty which gives Japan nothing. Stay the course Abe. Say no to Putin.

19 ( +21 / -2 )

Russia will never give back the islands, and Japan cannot sign a peace treaty without getting the islands, so this will never happen. I have to agree with Abe on this one. If they sign a peace treaty, there is no way that Russia will renegotiate after that. They would have no need to.

17 ( +20 / -3 )

Abe very much understands global politics to the point where he realizes that a Peace Treaty with Russia is worth more to Russia than to Japan. Japan gets nothing out of the deal while Russia gets to sow the seeds of doubt around the world that the relationship between Japan and the USA is weakening. However Japan does get something from the USA if they tell Russia to screw off.... or at least they should get something. And that something is.... Trump turning a blind eye, at least for the time being, to and trade deficits with Japan. There is more but those are the Two main items. This isn't about the islands right now.... it is about trade, perception, pressure, and global bargaining chips.

17 ( +19 / -2 )

It is extremely regrettable Putin won't negotiate the ownership of the Islands with PM Abe. Putin dangling a carrot of Peace Treaty is hollow without first solving the islands dispute.

14 ( +18 / -4 )

Devious. If I have to choose one word to describe the Russian leader, that’s it.

11 ( +13 / -2 )

Between Etorofu and Uruppu.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuril_Islands_dispute#/media/File:Demis-kurils-russian_names.png

Ex_Res, Wiki has a lot to say, including this "The first Russo-Japanese agreement to deal with the status of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands was the 1855 Treaty of Shimoda, which first established official relations between Russia and Japan. Article 2 of the Treaty of Shimoda, which provided for an agreement on borders, states "Henceforth the boundary between the two nations shall lie between the islands of Etorofu and Uruppu. The whole of Etorofu shall belong to Japan; and the Kuril Islands, lying to the north of and including Uruppu, shall belong to Russia." The islands of Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai Islands, that all lie to the south of Uturup, are not explicitly mentioned in the treaty and were understood at the time to be a non-disputed part of Japan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuril_Islands_dispute

11 ( +11 / -0 )

China also has dispute with Japan, yet signed peace treaty with Japan 40 years ago. If China can do that, why not Japan ? History doesn't lie and will never lie who is true peace lover and who isn't.

Oh yes, China is a peace-loving nation. And how many countries have they been bullying around and how many false claims of land 'ownership' have they been making? Definitely good at artificial island-building, though. Peace-building is another story.

10 ( +12 / -2 )

AkieToday  10:34 am JST

China also has dispute with Japan, yet signed peace treaty with Japan 40 years ago. If China can do that, why not Japan ? History doesn't lie and will never lie who is true peace lover and who isn't.

The circumstances are completely different. China was not considered a legitimate country until the 1970s when most countries and UN switched from Taiwan to China as the legitimate government of China. Communist China had its priority set on signing peace treaty to establish themselves as official government of China. The senkaku island dispute is nothing compared to having complete, legitimate recognition of Communist China.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

Japan should sign treaty of peace friendship and cooperation with Russia on the condition of Russia vacating NORTHERN TERRITORIES , occupied after WW 2 .

5 ( +11 / -6 )

Kobayashi Maru!

Japan will not want to lose face and repeal sanctions against Russia for fear of upsetting its international allies, mainly the US and UK and wont discuss the idea of repealing unless territorial changes are agreed first!

Likewise, Russia will not contemplate the loss of territory unless sanctions are repealed and wont negotiate unless they are!

As both sides are "technically" at peace it seems to me a little strange that this is such a hot topic. Formal treaties that symbolise the ending of wars seems a little passé now!

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Abe needs someone for the public to hate and he doesn't want it to be him. Keep the fear alive!

3 ( +14 / -11 )

"They need to settle this in a cage match!!:-/"

I believe Putin would emerge victorious, and not sure if Abe would emerge at all.

"So really it is a case of Russia will not give up the islands."

In 1956 the Russians were going to give back Shikotan and Habomai, but Japan insisted on all or nothing, so they got nothing.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Russia invaded and seized them as an act of war, some what lacking in legitimacy in the modern world. Russia will never give them back as there is no benefit to them in doing so and little or no political cost in hanging on to them.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

The Russians have said repeatedly in the past that they would be willing to give the bottom four, or at least the bottom two islands back to Japan.

Of course they have said the opposite of that too.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Independently of the positions of both countries, I'm sure Washington is meddling in this impasse.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I do not see a need for a peace treaty when Russia refuses to budge on the Northern Four Islands issue.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Let’s see, for peace we want our islands. You don’t give us back our islands then no peace. So, we need our constitution changed. If you don’t give us our islands the nice way, we’ll take them from you our way.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

How much land has Russia taken from other nations throughout its history? Imagine Russia agreeing to give back Japan’s four islands, how would other nations ask back for their lost lands. There’s no way Russia could or would return land. The scary question is this, is Japan (Abe) looking for war? Upping the military, changing the constitution, lowering the voting age, all leads one to believe the future looks bloody; all this over four small islands. Let’s wait for the Olympics to end, then well see what reallly is in the back of our PM’s mind.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Independently of the positions of both countries, I'm sure Washington is meddling in this impasse.

Actually, from what I understand, if it were not for the Americans, Hokaido would now be Russian territory too.

Really Japan should consider itself lucky, and not divided up in 1945.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Well, he can't live up to his vow to resolve THAT issue either, I guess.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

They need to settle this in a cage match!!:-/

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

Russia will never give back the islands,

From what I understand, Japan took these islands from Russia after the Russian - Japanese war. After WW2 Russia reclaimed them.

So really it is a case of Russia will not give up the islands.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

China also has dispute with Japan, yet signed peace treaty with Japan 40 years ago. If China can do that, why not Japan ? History doesn't lie and will never lie who is true peace lover and who isn't.

-11 ( +2 / -13 )

For Abe, peace isn't his favorable thing.

-12 ( +5 / -17 )

Of course. Every dog must obey it's master. Japan like most countries is subservient to the whims of the empire. No surprises here. Move on.

-13 ( +5 / -18 )

The second or third most powerful country in the world wants a peace treaty with a bunch of aged old Meji era old men, and our dear leader says “no”?

-13 ( +4 / -17 )

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