Russian President Dmitry Medvedev proposed at a Sept. 24 convention of the United Russia party that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin run for the presidential election set for March 2012. Mr. Putin accepted the proposal and his comeback as Russia's president is believed to be certain. He in turn called on the ruling party to put Mr. Medvedev at the top of its list of candidates in the December 2011 parliamentary elections.
Mr. Putin's run in the 2012 presidential election had been foreseen ever since the so-called Putin-Medvedev tandem was established in 2008 when he stepped down as president to become prime minister due to a constitutional provision prohibiting election of a president for a third term and let Mr. Medvedev become president.
Mr. Putin's policy so far indicates that he will pursue the restoration of Russia's status as a great power and the control of the country through authoritarian methods. He might also take a hard line on the issue of nuclear arms reduction. Thus increased conflict with the United States and European countries cannot be ruled out. Tokyo must closely watch Mr. Putin's moves vis-à-vis Northeast Asia and Japan, including the bilateral territorial issue with Tokyo.