Japan has failed for more than half a century to secure the return of four islands seized by Soviet forces off Hokkaido near the end of World War II, and Moscow's recent moves to bolster its hold on the territories dims the likelihood of any concessions from Russia.
Moscow is now threatening to push Japan out of the picture by reaching out to China and South Korea to join in on economic development of the South Kurils, which, according to Russia includes the four disputed islands Tokyo officially calls the Northern Territories.
Just last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated he welcomes foreign investment from countries like China, South Korea and Japan to develop the islands during a news conference after a meeting with his Tokyo counterpart, Seji Maehara, in Moscow.