Japan in tight spot in tussle with Russia over isles near Hokkaido

Tokyo must perform balancing act as talks shift to joint economic activities

Vladimir Putin and Shinzo Abe meet in Osaka on June 29: For decades, their nations have made little progress toward solving a territorial dispute left over from World War II.

MOTOHIRO IKEDA, Nikkei senior staff writer

July 15, 2019 20:24 JST

TOKYO -- It appears that the grand bargain proposed almost three years ago by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to bring an end to a territorial dispute with Russia has not panned out.

Since then, the Japanese government has been urging Russia to accelerate negotiations based on a 1956 joint declaration between the countries that stipulates Russia is to hand over a group of islets and another small island north of Hokkaido after a peace treaty is signed.