Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday in Los Cabos, Mexico, prior to the Group of 20 summit and they agreed to "reactivate" talks on the long-standing territorial dispute over the Etorofu, Kunashiri and Shikotan islands and the Habomai islet group off Hokkaido.
Mr. Putin said that he was basically ready to start such talks. While a quick breakthrough cannot be expected, it is important — as Mr. Noda has acknowledged — that the talks proceed on the basis of a series of bilateral accords and documents as well as the principle of law and justice.
Since the Democratic Party of Japan assumed power in September 2009, the Japanese government has displayed a lack of dexterity and astuteness in its dealings with Russia.