Three Years on a Path to Nowhere: The Hashimoto Initiative in Russian-Japanese Relations
2001; University of British Columbia; Volume: 74; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/2672488
ISSN1715-3379
Autores Tópico(s)Russia and Soviet political economy
ResumoFT/ he end of the cold war produced strong expectations, both in Russia and Japan, for final normalization of their relations and the promotion of extensive co-operation; nevertheless, the abrogation of Yeltsin's visit to Tokyo in August 1992 has basically undermined that possibility. Although he went toJapan in 1993, Yeltsin's visit did not produce much, leaving the relationship at a stalemate. Since then, both nations have looked for a new paradigm without much success. What looked like a move to break the ice was the intensification ofJapanese activities under PrimeMinister Ryutaro Hashimoto (1996-1998), his new Eurasian doctrine in particular. Proclaimed in July 1997, it was largely evaluated as a radical breakthrough in the Russian-Japanese dialogue.' Hashimoto called for a revision ofJapan's Russian policy and pledged to base future relations on three principles: mutual trust, mutual benefit and a long-term to create a solid foundation for the twenty-first century. Two major points encouraged a positive Russian response: a statement that the territorial dispute over the Northern Territories (Southern Kurils) should be discussed calmly, based on a long-term perspective and a call for expanded co-operation in the development of energy resources in Siberia and the Russian Far East.2 This statement paved the way for two no neckties Russian-Japanese summits in 1997-1998 and for the official visit to Moscow by Hashimoto's successor, Keizo Obuchi, in 1998, which was responded to by the visit of Yeltsin's successor, Vladimir Putin, to Tokyo in 2000. A formal goal to reach
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