At 1994 Summit, Japan Cautious about Russia Joining G-7

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan took a cautious stance toward granting Russia full membership of the Group of Seven at the 1994 summit in Naples, Italy, due to a long-standing bilateral territorial dispute, newly released documents showed Wednesday. Diplomatic records declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry revealed that Japan’s reluctance set it apart from the United States and European nations, which were relatively supportive of formally including Russia in the annual meeting of top leaders. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the G-7 members–Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, plus the European Union–moved quickly to deepen engagement with Russia. At the London summit the same year, the G-7 began holding meetings with Russian representatives outside the elite group’s formal framework. This gradual inclusion advanced further at the Naples summit, where Russian President Boris Yeltsin was invited to join the political discussions. In the early stages of the 1994 summit, Canada went a step further, proposing that the G-7 be formally expanded into a Group of Eight starting in 1995, according to the records. Japan was less enthusiastic. At a luncheon on the summit’s second day, then Foreign Minister Yohei Kono, attending in place of Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama due to his temporary illness, emphasized that Russia’s “territorial issue with our country remains unresolved.” Kono expressed reservations about Russia’s participation in the summit, saying: “(Russia) is on the receiving end of assistance. Yeltsin is, after all, a guest.” He continued, “If we are to invite countries with political influence, the argument will arise that China should be invited.” Then German Chancellor Helmut Kohl argued that the G-7 should monitor the situation for two more years and take a realistic approach. U.S. President Bill Clinton expressed support for Japan’s position on the territorial dispute, but agreed that it would be better to wait and see, as Germany suggested. As a result, a final decision was postponed. Yeltsin participated in political discussions on the final day of the Naples summit, marking the first time a Russian leader had taken part in such a meeting. He appealed for support for Moscow’s admission into the G-7 framework, emphasizing that Russia was ready to help build a new international order and that its participation was indispensable. In response, Japanese Prime Minister Murayama underscored the need to resolve the sovereignty dispute over four Russian-held islands in the northwestern Pacific, which were seized from Japan by Soviet forces in the closing days of World War II. “Fully normalizing relations between the two countries would contribute significantly to peace and stability in the region,” he said. The unresolved island issue has so far prevented Japan and Russia from concluding a peace treaty to put a formal end to their wartime hostilities. On Wednesday, Japan’s Foreign Ministry also released records related to preparatory meetings for the Naples summit. An internal document noted that “it is not realistic for our country alone to take a position different from the other G-7 members,” highlighting the sense of frustration and constraint Japan felt at the time. In a report on those meetings, Koichiro Matsuura, then senior deputy foreign minister and serving as the prime minister’s sherpa, expressed alarm about the direction of the talks. In the political sphere, he warned, “there could even be an argument that bringing in Russia…would be more meaningful (than Japan for other members).” After the Naples summit, Russia’s role in the annual meeting of leaders was expanded gradually. Beginning with the 1998 summit in Birmingham, Britain, the gathering became known as the “G-8 summit.” In response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, however, its participation in the group was suspended. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]