The remark by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Japan and Russia should conclude a formal World War II peace treaty "without any preconditions" by the end of the year underscores the lack of progress in Tokyo's efforts to resolve the long-standing territorial dispute with Moscow before signing a peace treaty. Given the stalled talks over the dispute, the statement can be construed as a call by Putin to effectively shelve the row over the group of islands off Hokkaido seized by Soviet forces in 1945 — a proposition unacceptable either in terms of popular sentiment in Japan or from any strategic viewpoint. Tokyo should not be swayed in its position by the surprise remark and step up the efforts to address the territorial row with Russia.
Putin made the remark during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Wednesday that was attended by the region's leaders, including Abe himself. Abe, who during both his stints as prime minister has held 22 summits with Putin, counts on his close personal rapport with the Russian leader as leverage to move the bilateral relations forward. In what has been billed as a "new approach" to bilateral ties, Abe has sought to expand economic cooperation with Russia, including joint economic projects on the disputed islands, to build an environment for better relations that paves the way for settling the territorial row.
However, working-level talks between the Japanese and Russian governments on sovereignty over the Kunashiri, Etorofu and Shikotan islands and the Habomai group of islets have not been held since summer 2016. During their latest summit, Abe and Putin reportedly agreed on a road map toward enabling the joint economic activities on the disputed islands, including tourism development and cultivation of marine products, and the dispatch of a Japanese mission to the islands next month. However, the two governments remain at loggerheads over a special arrangement that would allow Japan to engage in the project on the Russian-controlled islands without hurting its territorial legal claim. Russia, which welcomes Japanese investment and technology for the development of its Far Eastern areas, is unwilling to accept such an arrangement over the islands that it claims were incorporated into its territory legitimately as a result of World War II.