A trip to the Northern Territories

小泉首相の北方領土視察

The Northern Territories refer to the islands of Kunashiri, Etorofu and Shikotan, and the Habomai islets, which Soviet troops seized at the end of World War II. These islands, situated off Hokkaido, are held by Russia. In 1956, under a joint declaration that ended the technical state of war between Japan and the Soviet Union, Tokyo and Moscow restored diplomatic ties. But the territorial dispute has blocked the signing of a peace treaty.

The trip, which was made at the request of former islanders and their relatives, is a sobering reminder that the dispute is the biggest obstacle to the full normalization of Russo-Japanese relations. Mr. Koizumi needs to follow up on the journey lest it ends up as a public-relations stunt.

Mr. Koizumi is the first prime minister to take a boat to the Northern Terri-tories. Two of his predecessors — Mr. Zenko Suzuki and Mr. Yoshiro Mori — had used a helicopter, in 1981 and 2001, respectively. Mr. Koizumi, it is said, wanted to be different. A land trip was reportedly considered at first but was dropped out of concern for the Russians. That left a sea trip as the only option.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit Tokyo early in 2005. The government sees the summit as a precious opportunity to discuss the territorial issue. Mr. Putin, who won re-election in March, is thought to be in a better position to negotiate.

Against this backdrop, the tour can be taken as a signal of Tokyo's resolve to negotiate a settlement as a national priority. Indeed, it is likely that Mr. Koizumi is trying to build momentum in the leadup to Mr. Putin's visit. It is likely, considering the Liberal-Democratic Party's setback in July's Upper House election, that he is anxious to score points on the diplomatic front.

Mr. Koizumi achieved high scores in dealing with the abduction issue between Japan and North Korea. He visited Pyongyang for talks with Mr. Kim Jong Il, and obtained the release of five abductees and their family members. But he has made no visible moves to strengthen ties with Russia.

Diplomacy toward North Korea, however, has made little progress of late due to the seemingly fruitless search for other abductees as well as the continuing standoff over its nuclear weapons program. This may explain why he is willing to step up diplomatic efforts toward Russia.

Whatever the motives, it is good that the government is beginning to pay greater attention to Tokyo-Moscow relations. This does not necessarily mean that territorial talks will produce results anytime soon. In fact, given Moscow's tough position, no optimism is warranted. Russia formally acknowledged the existence of the territorial issue in the 1993 Tokyo Declaration, reversing its earlier stand that no such issue existed between the two nations. Since then, talks have been held on and off, but no substantial progress has been made.

The government has made a number of specific proposals, such as drawing a tentative border north of the islands pending their handover. One proposal called for a "parallel negotiation formula" to deal with the smaller islands (Habomai and Shikotan) separately from the larger ones (Kunashiri and Etorofu). The 1956 declaration says Habomai and Shikotan will be returned to Japanese control.

The Russians rejected both proposals. In January last year, however, the two governments signed a joint action plan that calls for a range of measures to promote mutual cooperation and exchanges, including closer political dialogue. The plan's ultimate purpose is to resolve the territorial dispute and conclude a peace treaty.

Gradualism represents a realistic approach. The idea, of course, is to expand bilateral relations even as the territorial issue remains unresolved. This is not to say that the Northern Territories should take a back seat to economic and trade matters. The biggest thorn in the side of Russo-Japanese relations must be removed one way or the other to achieve full normalization.

The Japan Times Weekly
Sept. 11, 2004
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      北方領土とは国後、択捉、色丹、歯舞の4島で、第二次大戦後ソ連（ロシア）により占領されている。1956年に調印された日ソ共同宣言の下で、両国は戦争状態を終決して国交を回復したが、領土問題が未解決のため、平和条約は締結していない。

      来年早々、プーチン露大統領の訪日時に行われる日露首脳会談は、領土問題について協議する絶好の機会だと政府関係者は言う。首相は大統領訪日前に、問題解決の機運を高めたいようだ。

      首相は対北朝鮮外交で手腕を発揮、平壌を2度訪問して5人の拉致被害者とその家族の帰国を実現させた。しかし、他の日本人行方不明者の捜索、核開発問題で北朝鮮との交渉は進展していない。そこで、首相は対露関係改善を目指しているのであろう。

      日露領土問題解決の見通しは楽観を許さない。1993年の東京宣言で、ロシアは領土問題の存在を初めて認めたが、その後、問題についての交渉は進んでいない。

      政府は、北方領土の北方海域に国境を画定すること、国後・択捉の返還確定と歯舞・色丹の帰属問題に関する「平行協議方式」など、いくつか具体的提案をしている。

      ロシア政府はこの2つの提案を拒否したが、両国政府は昨年、政治対話など相互協力を推進する共同行動計画に調印した。計画の究極の目的は、領土問題解決と平和条約締結である。

      領土問題は未解決でも、2国間関係を強化するという漸進主義は現実的方策だ。もちろん、北方領土問題が経済、貿易問題より優先度が低いというのではない。日露関係の最大の障害は、国交正常化を達成するためにぜひ除去せねばならない。