During a recent meeting in Moscow, former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and Russian President Boris Yeltsin reaffirmed a 1997 Russo-Japanese agreement that the two nations will do their utmost to sign a long-pending peace treaty by 2000. Mr. Hashimoto, who enjoys a close personal relationship with the Russian president, seems to have taken some of the sting out of the stalled territorial talks on the Northern Territories.
Barring untoward developments, the Russian leader is now expected to visit Tokyo this autumn. But the territorial talks are likely to face difficulties because of political instability in Moscow. Russia is slated for lower house elections late this year and a presidential poll next summer. Moreover, a majority of Russians are believed to oppose the handing over of the disputed islands.
This makes it all the more significant that the two leaders again confirmed a mutual desire to settle the territorial dispute and conclude a peace treaty by the end of this century. Toward this goal, the government must continue steady efforts at every opportunity, including during the Moscow visit by Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura scheduled for late May and the June summit of industrialized nations in Cologne, Germany.