Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's attempt to quickly settle a decadeslong territorial dispute with Russia, and thus boost his political legacy, appears unlikely to bear fruit, with no substantive progress announced after his talks Tuesday in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin.
The two leaders, who have now met 25 times, reaffirmed their determination to conclude a postwar peace treaty by settling the row over a group of Russian-held islands off Hokkaido, but they also admitted they have a tough road ahead.
Itsuro Nakamura, a professor of Russian politics at the University of Tsukuba, said Putin has no intention of handing over any of the contested territory. "I believe Mr. Putin is merely dangling the territorial issue as an enticing carrot in front of Mr. Abe" to drive a wedge in the Japan-U.S. security alliance.