Russian experts: Japan's militarization hardens Moscow's stance

Russian political analysts have said Moscow no longer needs to show goodwill toward Tokyo, arguing that Japan's policies have pushed bilateral relations into a deadlock and that there is little room left for negotiations over the countries' long-running territorial dispute.

The remarks came after Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the Iturup island, one of the disputed Southern Kuril Islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories.

The visit was widely seen in Russia as a reaffirmation of Moscow's sovereignty over the islands and a signal that Russia would not make concessions to Japan amid growing tensions.

Russian political scholar Mikhail Lukyanov said Putin's visit had, in a sense, "drawn a line" and sent a clear message to Tokyo: If Japan is unwilling to pursue an independent policy toward Russia and instead aligns itself with the West, Moscow will no longer be concerned about Japan's reaction.

He stressed that a Russian president visiting any part of the country is a normal exercise of official duties.

Lukyanov noted that previous Russian leaders had refrained from visiting the disputed islands partly to avoid provoking unnecessary reactions from Japan.

Putin had also made efforts to explore possible solutions to the territorial dispute, he said, but Tokyo had failed to break away from what he described as an entrenched and rigid decision-making process.

Lukyanov said that as Japan's policies have brought Russia-Japan relations to a deadlock, the timing of Putin's visit "was no coincidence".

Another Russian political scholar, Evgeny Minchenko, said Japan was moving down a path toward militarization, pointing to discussions within the Japanese government about potentially abandoning its commitment to the country's long-standing "three non-nuclear principles." He said that under the current circumstances, there is no point for Russia to show goodwill toward Japan.

Yuri Pikalov, a professor at Pacific National University in Russia, said Putin's trip went beyond a routine working visit, describing it as a powerful political statement reaffirming Russia's sovereignty over the Kuril Islands, and a direct and forceful response to Japan's unfriendly policies toward Russia.

He said that visits by Japanese politicians to the Yasukuni Shrine clearly show that Japanese militarism is resurfacing, adding that such actions signal to the world that Japan does not accept the outcome of World War II.

He also said that the Japanese government's portrayal of Russia, China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as so-called "threats" has an obvious purpose: to alarm the Japanese public, justify increased military spending and accelerate the country's militarization.