FOCUS: Japan Has Few Cards to Play 1 Month after Putin’s Isle Visit

Tokyo, Sept. 13 (Jiji Press)–Japan has been unable to take concrete countermeasures since Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a disputed northwestern Pacific island a month ago. Japan has lodged a strong protest following Putin’s Aug. 13 visit to the island of Etorofu, one of the four islands claimed by Tokyo but controlled by Moscow. The four islands, seized by the former Soviet Union from Japan at the end of World War II, are called the Northern Territories in Japan. Still, Tokyo has largely failed to come up with a heftier response, given the need for a stable procurement of oil and natural gas from Russia amid the prolonged conflict in the Middle East. Japan taking further action, such as imposing fresh sanctions, would lead to “a further deterioration in Japan-Russia ties,” a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official said. “We hope to seize the opportunity to strengthen our approach to the Russian side,” Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said at a press conference on Friday. He, however, ruled out the possibility of temporarily recalling Japanese Ambassador to Russia Akira Muto, which would have been a way to show Tokyo’s hardline stance over Putin’s visit. After his visit, Putin has made coercive remarks, placing all the blame on Japan for the soured Tokyo-Moscow ties, while sidestepping Russia’s own invasion of Ukraine. A statue was erected on Sept. 3 in Khabarovsk in Russia’s Far East to commemorate the Russian side’s WWII victory over Japan. Russia has also continued military activities around Japan, while siding with China over historical issues. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that Putin’s visit “has made it difficult to restore relations in the medium- to long-term.” Her government, however, has failed to come up with further actions, with many within the government voicing wariness that retaliatory measures would give the Russian side an excuse to escalate its actions and expressing reluctance to make things harder for Japan in terms of economic matters, including energy. According to government sources, Takaichi was furious at the Foreign Ministry for failing to gain intelligence on Putin’s visit in advance. She has required the ministry to report on Russia’s every move since then, given that the trip led to criticism that she was being weak-kneed against Moscow. On Thursday, Takaichi held talks with Muneo Suzuki, a lawmaker of the Senate, or the upper chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, and a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who has his own channels of communication with Russia. According to informed sources, the prime minister said that while it is important that former residents of the Northern Territories be able to visit their family graves again, her side does not have any connections with the Russian side to make that happen. A Foreign Ministry official expressed bewilderment at the lack of a concrete strategy prosed by the prime minister, saying, “We’ve not been given clear instructions yet.” On Friday, some members of the LDP’s Foreign Affairs Division urged the government to act, with some proposing more aid to Ukraine, which would not be well-received by Russia, while others said that protests alone would undermine the dignity of Japan. Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki on Tuesday criticized the Takaichi administration’s response, saying that Japan has shown “a noticeable conciliatory stance toward Russia.” He called on Takaichi to highlight her country’s support for Ukraine when she attends a U.N. General Assembly session in New York late this month. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]