At their meeting in Tokyo on Nov. 21, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to produce a joint statement on stalled peace treaty talks. The reason, of course, is that the two nations remain at odds over possession of the Northern Territories. It is unusual that no political statement was issued during an official visit here by a Russian president. This is likely to dampen future Japan-Russia relations.
Russia, which continues to ignore previous agreements concerning the territorial dispute, is responsible for the impasse. During the three-day visit, Putin, accompanied by some 100 business people, expressed a strong desire to promote economic cooperation with Japan.
The two sides unveiled 12 programs, including one for energy cooperation. But unless Russia demonstrates sincerity in dealing with the territorial issue, it will be impossible to build a relationship of mutual trust and stronger political and economic relations between the two nations in a balanced manner.