NEWSWORTHY
Putin's unacceptable peace treaty condition
The Russian president set a precondition Japan can't accept when he offered to negotiate a peace treaty before reaching a settlement on the Northern Territories.
Abe and Putin agree to promote economic programs on disputed isles off Hokkaido
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Monday to step up efforts to realize planned joint economic activities on disputed islands off Hokkaido, while making little progress on the territorial issue. In a news conference after their summit in Vladivostok, Russia, Abe ...
Abe continues balancing act with Putin as he chases peace treaty, disputed isles at Moscow summit
With little to show from a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the view that Tokyo is trapped in a constant balancing act in its dealings with Moscow is reinforced.
Japan to avoid direct support for U.S. strike on Syria: sources
Japan plans to avoid expressing direct support for actual U.S. military action against Syria, in an attempt to avoid damaging negotiations with Russia over a decadeslong territorial row, government sources said Thursday. Japan will only support U.S. President Donald Trump's "resolve" to prevent any further ...
Japan and the Skripal poisoning: The U.K.'s fair-weather friend
Prime Minister Abe should demonstrate that Japan is a reliable security partner.
Minister in charge of Okinawa, Tetsuma Esaki, steps down after stroke
The state minister in charge of Okinawa and Northern Territories affairs, Tetsuma Esaki, stepped down Tuesday after suffering a minor stroke recently, the government said. A seven-term Lower House member from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Esaki, 74, was diagnosed last week with having had ...
Government to back Hokkaido school trips to promote awareness of isle row with Russia
The government plans to promote school trips to parts of Hokkaido near the Russian-held islands claimed by Japan to raise awareness among young people about the territorial dispute, it has been learned. According to officials, tours will be organized for junior and senior high school ...
Japan and Russia to hold vice ministerial talks next week on Northern Territories
Japan and Russia will hold another round of vice ministerial-level talks in Tokyo on Feb. 6 to seek progress on a long-standing territorial row over a group of islands off Hokkaido, Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Tuesday. Kono said Senior Deputy Foreign Minister Takeo Mori ...
Japan might ask Russian President Putin to visit in 2019 to discuss isle row
The government is considering inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to Japan around May 2019 in the hope of making progress in resolving a decades-long territorial row, government sources said Friday. Putin last visited Japan in December 2016. That trip was played up as a potential ...
The Russian military plans to deploy anti-ship missiles to the Kuril Islands, the Russian newspaper Izvestia has reported, in a move likely to impact an ongoing territorial dispute between Moscow and Tokyo. The deployment of the Bal and Bastion missile systems to two islands in ...
Japan and Russia to form task force on joint business on disputed isles
Japan and Russia have agreed to set up a task force to jointly develop tourism and four other businesses on disputed islands controlled by Moscow but claimed by Tokyo, a Japanese government official said Tuesday. Tokyo hopes joint economic projects will pave the way for ...
Second field survey scheduled for Japan-Russia joint economic programs on disputed islands
Japan is set to conduct a second field survey for planned joint economic activities with Russia on the disputed northwestern Pacific islands between Oct. 26-30, according to Russian Foreign Ministry officials. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting in the Russian Far ...
