The Study Of Russian-Japanese Territorial Issues

The territorial issue is an important factor which affects the development of Russian-Japanese relations.Due to greatly different opinions and intransigence between two sides,the issue of the Kuril Islands has not yet been solved.Although the territorial dispute between Russia and Japan was the product of World War II,its historical origin came from the division of borders between the two countries in the mid-19 th century and the conflicts of interests caused by the aggression against China.During the Cold War era,the policies of the two countries on territorial issues have changed several times.From the point of view of Russia(Soviet Union),when it's strength declined and needed Japan's diplomatic support,Russia(Soviet Union)weakened position on the territorial issue and was willing to negotiate with Japan to resolve it.In recent years,with the growth of strength,Russia did not recognize the existence of territorial dispute.From Japan's point of view,the Russian territorial policy has undergone a change from political and economic non-separation to expanding balance to multi-level contacts and then to stage discussions.In 2016,Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe put forward a proposal to jointly carry out economic activities with Russia on the four northern islands in an attempt to speed up the process of solving the territorial problem.Russian-Japanese economic and security cooperation can help to solve the territorial problem,but the lack of nationalism,political mutual trust and American factors in the two countries will hinder the solution of the territorial problem.In the short term,territorial problems are difficult to solve due to security strategy considerations and Japan's difficulty in changing the principle of territorial and economic linkages.In the long run,the demand for economic development of the two countries,joint economic activities in the South Kuril Islands and changing in the international situation provide a good environment for Russia and Japan to solve their territorial problems,which may be properly solved.