The Kremlin's war of aggression against Ukraine has alienated many countries from partnering with Russia. One of these countries is Japan. Tokyo no longer considers Moscow a partner. However, under former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, partnership with Russia was one of Tokyo's top foreign policy priorities. However, after the annexation of Crimea and the war of aggression against Ukraine, Tokyo's position changed.
In the new national security strategy adopted by Japan, Russia has been excluded from the list of partner countries. "Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine is a flagrant violation of the law. This policy is a serious blow to the international order" - this sentence was included in the new national security strategy. The continuation of the uncertain situation regarding the Kuril Islands has also had a negative impact on the relations between Tokyo and Moscow. Land concessions are prohibited in the new Constitution of Russia. This means that the future presidents of Russia will not return the Kuril Islands to Japan. Therefore, Japan will not be able to sign a peace treaty with Russia. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kisida confirmed the current situation in his statement on December 2: "Japan-Russia relations remain tense. In this situation, I do not see the prospect of negotiations for the signing of a peace agreement between the two countries." The tension of the relations was also caused by the harsh statements of the Russian officials towards Tokyo. For example, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, in his statement on December 11, assessed Japan as a country that "bows down to Nazism" like Western countries.
Nevertheless, in the national security strategy, China is indicated as the main source of danger for Japan. In the strategy, along with Russia, China's policy is assessed as a threat to the international order. Defense fortifications will be increased in the part of Japan's coast close to China. Tokyo will start production of new generation fighter jets. In addition, Japan, together with Great Britain and Italy, planned to produce unmanned military aircraft by 2035.
In Japan's new strategy, the importance of a counter-attack against a dangerous country is emphasized. However, after the Second World War, Japan avoided military rhetoric. Washington's military control over defeated Japan was strong. Currently, Washington itself is advising Tokyo to increase its military spending due to the threat of Russia, China and North Korea.
Japan will allocate 2 percent of national income to military spending. Nevertheless, the Japanese do not plan to become a powerful country from a military point of view in the region. The main issue is to form an army that can adequately respond to existing threats. Along with the national security strategy, Tokyo also adopted a plan to increase its defense power.
"Atlas" Research Center
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