Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday viewed the Northern Territories aboard a Japan Coast Guard ship. It was a high-profile trip that appeared to demonstrate his determination to tackle the territorial issue with Russia. Many Japanese are wondering, though, whether it was a political grandstand play designed to shore up his sagging popularity.
The Northern Territories refer to the islands of Kunashiri, Etorofu and Shikotan, and the Habomai islets, which Soviet troops seized at the end of World War II. These islands, situated off Hokkaido, are now held by Russia. In 1956, under a joint declaration that ended the technical state of war between Japan and the Soviet Union, Tokyo and Moscow restored diplomatic ties. But the territorial dispute has blocked the signing of a peace treaty.
The trip, which was made at the request of former islanders and their relatives, is a sobering reminder that the dispute remains the biggest obstacle to the full normalization of Russo-Japanese relations. Mr. Koizumi needs to follow up on the journey lest it ends up as a public-relations stunt. For a start, he should get the stalled territorial talks moving.