Jay Wilson comments

This is just more of th same old Russian carrot-and-stick crap they always pull I regard to these stolen islands. If they had any intention of returning the lower 2 back to Japan, why would they beef up e military presence on Shikotan? And the 1956 deal was abrogated by the Russia's themselves so saying that it is still valid and negotiations based on it can be held are complete and utter rubbish and a prime example of "Putin speak with fork tounge".

Nathaw: Putin can give two islands of NT back to Japan.

Do you really think Putin would do that? He just stole Crimea from Ukraine so what makes you think he would RETURN stolen territory?

gaijinheiwa; Smells like propaganda

That's not propoganda, it's the smell of China and Russia kissing each other's asses

sidekick Joining the USA and Europe in anti-russian choir wasn't a best way to get islands back. Besides, Putin can act like a true leader of his country while Abe cannot. Making crimean referendum and re-gaining of territory, Putin did not ask an approval for his actions from Washington D.C.

and kissing Moscow's vodka soaked, Borscht spewing ass will not get them any of the islands back now will it. This is just that balding fool Putin's latest swipe at Japan. I say Japan should scrap the visa-free trips to Japan for the Russians on those islands. And the next time an earthquake hits the Kurils, instead of begging Japan to help the Russians should fend for themselves

This is proof that the Russian barbarians have no intention of returning any of the islands to Japan.

Congratulations Princess

toshiko ?????????? First group is saying "push back any settlement * you are saying he had no intention of -------------------- Same opinion

BTW, Kuril (Chishima Retto) is not two islands. Japan named Chishima (Thousand Islands) be cause many islands in Northern Kuril, Central Kuril and Southern Kuril. (Minami Chishima, Chubu Chishimam Minami Chishima). Retto (long line of islands) No, not two islands. first group you mentioned know that. I ask you question, Why you say two islands? What islands do you mean???*

The two smaller islands I was referring to are Habomai and Shikotan.

South Korea will not be happy with anything Japan does

zvonko Absolutely wrong decision. Japan knows the history and can easily deduce the right of Russia to accept the completely democratic decision of the Crimean to rejoin what was always their country. When Russian Dictator (Ukrainian and married to Ukrainian) Khrushchev decided to make one man decision and take a Russian Crimea and annex it to Ukraine no one in the west complained. Now that the NATO is losing the prime piece of real-estate they where almost sure to get everyone is screaming their bad breath all over the place. Japan should stop brown nosing the evil empires and should do what Japan is best on doing and that is conquer the markets with the serious and honest business and products the people all over the world like. Keep clean of political lies and games and keep the respect you already have. Who knows maybe a good time to hear the Russian part of the story and in a humble Japanese manner remind them of your need for some sort of sharing of the four disputed island up north.

Are you serious? Putin has never had ANY intention of returning the stolen Northern Territories back to Japan

presto345 He may not have seen this coming since his "willingness" to talk about the 'northern territories' [which he has zero intention to return]. He will be annoyed.

Do you really think that Putin had ANY intention of returning the Northern Territories?

For all those saying that Japan putting sanctions on Russia will push back any settlement of the Kuril Islands dispute, you are wrong. Putin had no intention of settling this dispute as h had no intention of giving away two smaller islands back to Japan.

Congratulations to the Princess on graduating. May you sucseed in all your life's endeavours

This visit will not result in Japan getting any of the Northern Territories back. Putin will act all nice, say the things Japan will want to hear but in the end, Japan will be screwed over by Russia yet again and will not regain any of the islands back from Moscow

Russia just wants Japan to throw away money on the islands as Moscow seems unwilling or unable to do it themselves. And since Putin said the islands are now Russia and that this will not change, he should stop begging Japan to invest in them

Japan is fooling itself if it thinks that Russia will return any of those STOLEN islands back to Tokyo. Russia wants Japan to throw away money on the islands because Moscow does not have the funds to do it themselves.

I'm sorry, but what does Japan get? Russia has already stated that they will not return the two islands they are obligated to return and will not talk about the other two. They also said that all four islands are sovereign Russian territory and none of the islands will be given to Japan, so what is there for Japan to get out of this apart from sweet flip all?

STOP THE PRESSES: South Korea complains about Japan....... Yeah, everyone and his grandmother knows this. Since when is South Korea bitching about Japan news?

Futher, the fact that Japan chose a role of a political puppet of Uncle Sam was and IS a main obstacle for a positive solution of a territorial problem

How on Earth is that a problem? The Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security is for Japan's defence and is not directed at any specific country. Moscow is using the treaty as a reason to with-hold the two islands they were LEGALLY obligated to return. Russia has already stated that they will not return the two islands they are obligated to return and will not talk about the other two. They also said that all four islands are sovereign Russian territory and none of the islands will be given to Japan.

I fly the The Rising Sun from my bedroom window and I do not care if people do not like it.

Japan must be fooling itself if they think Russia will give them anything. Russia promised to give back Shikotan and Habomai but backed out of the deal. This proves that Russia can not be trusted to return anything to Japan. The Russians backed out of a 1956 deal to return Shikotan and Habomai, which it was legally required to do, because Japan signed the security alliance with the United States. Now all Russia wants Japan to do is throw money away on the islands because Moscow does not have the money to do it themselves and Tokyo hopes that if they do piss away money on the islands, they hope that Moscow will return the two they offered in 1956 but then backed out of doing. The USSR hinted at the possibility of considering the return of the Habomai Islands and Shikotan if Japan abandoned its alliance with the United States, and when Japan and the US signed the "Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security", Moscow declared that it would not hand over the Habomai Islands and Shikotan under any circumstances unless Japan abrogated the treaty forthwith. Then in 1964, the Soviet Union offered to return these islands if the United States ended its military presence on Okinawa and the main islands of Japan. This is proof that Russia had no intention of returning the two islands they were LEGALLY obligated to return

There is nothing to talk about, Japan owns the islands and that's all there is to it

OssanAmerica

Does China even recognize the 1972 Sino-Japanese Treaty of Friendship? Or has that been erased like that incident in the square?

Isn't it obvious that they conveniently forget it whenever "Let's bash Japan" day/season comes around

Just ignore North Korea and the fat little loud-mouth that runs that dump of a country. If he wants nukes, let him have them so long as he realises that by possessing nukes, his crap-hole of a nation will be further isolated and will NEVER get normalisation of relations with the US

sfjp330:

You have the old news. Former FM Gemba described the territorial dispute between Russia and Japan as an issue of various agreements and documents in the past and principles of law and justice from the meeting in late 2011 with Putin. The law refers to the 1956 Japan-Russia Joint Declaration. Putin admits the declaration, which proposed to return two of the disputed islands to Japan, is valid. Therefore the two sides share a common ground.

Russia's problem is that reforms aren't implemented when the country has money and when reforms are needed, the nation lacks funds. Russia's stability throughout the last decade, during which the country's democratization process was postponed, has been supported by surges in energy resource prices. But it's uncertain how long this will continue. Inevitably, economic sectors such as high technology and information technology will need to be diversified and modernized. Putin is focusing on the potential of Japan, which has reduced dependency on nuclear power since the 3/11 Fukushima Earthquake. Putin is discussing energy cooperation with Japan in sectors such as natural gas. He may be able to build better Japan-Russia relations. Russia sees Japan as a long-term importer of its natural gas.

If Putin said that Russia will now give Japan no territory, how the blazes can he then say the 1956 deal is still valid? And for that matter, if the 1956 was abrogated by the Russians, how then can they say that it is still valid and want to negotiate on its basis? And as for energy cooperation, you must be deluded if you think that will lead to a resolution of this dispute.

YuriOtani:

If nothing is given up there will be no peace treaty.

If there is no peace treaty, then Russia should stop begging Japan to throw away its money in the islands

YuriOtani

Lets wait Jay until they make their proposition. President Putin has changed his tune.

I'm sorry, but Putin will not change his stance. He said in 2006 that Russia would now give the Japanese no territory so what is there for Japan to gain by waiting to hear Russia say "The islands are our now, and you're not getting any of them"?. And if the islands are so valuable to Russia, why does Russia say the '56 deal (which Russia abrogated) to return two of the islands is still valid? If the islands are that valuable to them, why don't they use Russian money to make things better for the people living there instead of wanting Japanese investment? Russia is using the carrot-and-stick method to get Japan to invest in the islands without returning ANY of them to Japan, including the two they were LEGALLY required to do.

YuriOtani

I like hikiwake as it makes sense and ends the war with a peace treaty. Both sides get something but not everything. Usually I do not support the PM but he enjoys my support on this issue. Maybe this is a chance for real peace and maybe this solution will work with China as well. Japan needs to live up to its promise of never making war again.

I'm sorry, but what does Japan get? Russia has already stated that they will not return the two islands they are obligated to return and will not talk about the other two. They also said that all four islands are sovereign Russian territory and none of the islands will be given to Japan, so what is there for Japan to get out of this apart from sweet flip all?

tyvtgo1US

Does any not understand, Russia, And China are made of the same cloth!!!!! These two countries and their buddies will never come into the fold of the peaceful developed community of nations. We see this again and again and again. These are two hostile nations that support hostile regimes around the world and there is no reason to provide either the means to grow in power. As we see what they stand for and what they do with their power. Incredible that politicians are so gullible to corporate funds.

This proves that Russia will not give Japan ant of the islands back

"Reasonable proposal....." What a load of rubbish. China's reasonable proposals really mean "The islands are China's, give them back or else". That is not reasonable

sfjp330

"There was another reason that Japan decided not to settle the territorial dispute and reach a peace treaty in 1956. The United States had interceded forcefully to prevent such agreement, once the Soviet Union had made its concession and it appeared that Japan might accede to the compromise. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, in a discussion with Foreign Minister Shigemitsu on August 19, had replied to a query as to the juridical effect of a Japanese acknowledgment of Soviet sovereignty over the Kuril Islands by threatening in that case to revoke the earlier American acknowledgment of Japanese residual sovereignty over Okinawa and Ryukyu Islands." "Northern territories" and beyond: Russian, Japanese, and American perspectives (James E. Goodby, Vladimir I. Ivanov, Nobuo Shimotomai)

Yes, and AFTER that, the USSR hinted at the possibility of considering the return of the Habomai Islands and Shikotan if Japan abandoned its alliance with the United States, and when Japan and the US signed the "Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security", Moscow declared that it would not hand over the Habomai Islands and Shikotan under any circumstances unless Japan abrogated the treaty forthwith. Then in 1964, the Soviet Union offered to return these islands if the United States ended its military presence on Okinawa and the main islands of Japan. This is proof that Russia had no intention of returning the two islands they were LEGALLY obligated to return

SamuraiBlue

No Japan was advised sternly not to accept by the US during the height of the cold war.

Russia backed out of the 1956 deal to return Shikotan and Habomai, which it was legally required to do, because Japan signed the security alliance with the United States. Now all Russia wants Japan to do is throw money away on the islands in the hopes that Moscow will return the two they offers in 1956 but then backed out of

Japan must be fooling itself if they think Russia will give them anything. Russia promised to give back Shikotan and Habomai but backed out of the deal. This proves that Russia can not be trusted