The closely watched summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin did not appear to have produced any concrete progress on the long-standing territorial row over the group of islands off Hokkaido that were seized by Soviet forces at the end of World War II, which has prevented the two countries from concluding a formal peace treaty. Instead, Abe and Putin emphasized that joint economic activities on the disputed islands as well as a range of economic cooperation between the two countries that they agreed on in their two days of talks will help build mutual confidence and contribute to ending the "extraordinary" situation that Tokyo and Moscow lack a peace treaty seven decades after the war's end.
Abe's call for a "future-oriented" approach to resolving the territorial row that would not be bound by the past — based on the recognition that the dispute would never be settled with both sides merely reiterating their respective positions — sounds pragmatic. It will indeed be impossible to resolve in just one summit a dispute that for many decades has effectively been in a stalemate. But whether their agreement this week marks a "major step forward" in resolving the biggest question between the two nations will depend on their future efforts.
Evidently, Abe has staked much on seeking a breakthrough on the bilateral row over the islands of Kunashiri, Etorofu, Shikotan and the Habomai islets. He has counted greatly on building a strong personal rapport with Putin — this week's meeting was their 16th as leaders of their respective countries and the fourth this year alone, even as Russia was the under the pressure of the Group of Seven sanctions for its annexation of Crimea in 2014 — as leverage to build momentum for resolving the dispute.