International relationsUS-Russia nuclear dispute raises obstacle in Japan island talks
Tokyo aims to deploy missile-defense system that Moscow calls a threat
President Putin claimed in a Feb. 20 speech that U.S. anti-missile systems had offensive capabilities, a charge that complicates Japan's talks with Moscow. © AP
EIJI FURUKAWA, Nikkei staff writer
February 28, 2019 03:43 JST
MOSCOW -- Tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Washington's withdrawal from a Cold War nuclear pact threaten to throw a wrench into Japan's efforts to sign a long-awaited postwar peace treaty with Moscow and settle their longtime island dispute.