Japan and the Kuril Islands Dispute－How to manage the Kuril
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Despite the U.S.S.R.’s proposed return to Japan of the Kuril islands of Shikotan and Habomai, and the drafting of the Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956; more than half a century hence, Japan finds itself no closer to resolving its’ long running dispute with the Russians. (The value of these islands, to Japan, lies in the two hundred square mile fishing zone surrounding them, an inestimable resource, which could benefit the Japanese economy given the current economic downturn.)
The Joint Declaration of 1956 did not settle the Kuril Islands dispute, rather, it stipulated that resolution be postponed; pending signature of a permanent peace treaty between Japan and the U.S.S.R… Article 9 of the Joint Declaration stated: “The U.S.S.R. and Japan have agreed to continue, after the establishment of normal diplomatic relations between them, negotiations for the conclusion of a peace treaty. Hereby, the U.S.S.R., in response to the desires of Japan and taking into consideration the interest of the Japanese state, agrees to hand over to Japan the Habomai and the Shikotan Islands, provided that the actual changing over to Japan of these islands will be carried out after the conclusion of a peace treaty.”
Ultimately, pressure from the U.S. (in its’ refusal to withdraw from Okinawa, which it had occupied since the end of WWII), forced the Japanese to abandon the islands. While this declaration formally ended a state of war between the two, to this day, no peace treaty exists, and the issue remains unresolved; much to the frustration of the Japanese.
Ironically, and in light of this continuing dilemma, it is interesting to note how little the average Japanese citizen knows about the political dynamics of his surrounding countries. Sadly, the Japanese citizen remains unaware of the predicament his country currently faces. The Japanese government has always been secretive, and selectively withholds information from the general public, which, if exposed, might undermine its authority, rights and interests. The economic meltdown is not over; is far worse than anyone can imagine; and the government has proven itself ineffectual at handling domestic crises (reference the tsunami of 2011 and resultant radioactive contamination).
According to a recent internet questionnaire, young Japanese respondents indicated a markedly lower level of interest in Russia, than in their neighboring countries of Korea or China. (The survey results were calculated as follows; interest in Korea, 63.0%; in China, 49.9%; in Russia, 34.1%). It is also apparent, that a majority of Japanese citizens are similarly uninformed when it comes to Russian politics (27.8% were familiar with Russian politics; 20.7% with Russian economics; 12.4% with Russian culture). Japanese friendliness toward Korea was calculated at 65.9%, toward China (34.1%), toward Russia (8.4%). Generally speaking, familiarity with Russia is minimal, compared to that of other countries. Today’s young Japanese recognize that there is little amity between the two countries (75.6%), and feel that it is necessary for Japan to develop better relations with Russia (83.1%); the prevailing opinion being, that the key to resolving the Russo-Japanese conflict lies in settling the Kuril Island dispute.
When asked to provide further personal knowledge of Russia, respondents offered the following; firstly, Russia was a ‘cold’ place (20.3% of 298 responses); secondly, the Northern Islands dispute (17.8% of 262 responses); thirdly, Russia was a ‘vast and big’ country (4.0%). (Statistics drawn from a 6/10/2011 survey by SOKEN com., based upon a sampling of 1,470 users)
Japanese cultural awareness of things Russian is also negligible, as compared to knowledge of the U.S., Germany, and France. For example, when asked how long it would take to travel from Niigata Prefecture to Vladivostok, only 16.6% knew that it was a ninety minute flight. Nonetheless, once exposed to Russian culture, young Japanese are often intrigued, and motivated to study it, then quickly becoming familiar with it. Paradoxically, the influence of Russian culture can be seen throughout Japan, in the acceptance and usage of Russian terms, such as; ‘Cheburashuka’ from Russian animation (34.0% recognition); ‘ikura’ salmon roe (26.3% recognition); ‘norma’ (a work quota) (7.1%), and ‘interi’ (an intellectual) (5.1%). Other common, ‘everyday’ phenomenon encountered, are the computer game ‘Tetris’ developed by Russian scientists (25.4% recognition) and the ‘matryoshka’ nesting dolls, which are a Russian icon, but ironically, are based upon the Japanese ‘Fuku-Daruma’ dolls of Hakone (recognition 5.5%).
The impact of defeat and invasion at the end of World War II was enormous, and, Japan was inundated with American culture. As is usually the case, the victor (U.S.) dominated the defeated (Japan), in all aspects of post war society. American economic and cultural influence was very rapidly absorbed into Japan, following the signing of the Japan –U.S .Security Treaty. Sixty seven years later, Japan is still greatly influenced by American culture.
As the American authority, Joseph Nye, stated in his book, ‘Soft Power’: The Means to Success in World Politics,’ ‘Power is the ability to influence the behavior of others to get the outcomes you want, and there are several ways one can achieve this: you can coerce them with threats; you can induce them with payments; or you can attract and co-opt them to want what you want. This soft power- getting others to want the outcomes you want- co-opts people rather than coerces them. It can be contrasted with ‘hard power’, which is the use of coercion and payment. Soft power can be wielded not just by states but also by all actors in international politics, such as NGOs or international institutions.’
It is an indisputable fact that Japan’s is a success story in which, a foreign (American) culture drove out and replaced an indigenous one. (It would appear that Japan remains under the influence of ‘Soft Power’ by Joseph Nye, as it finds itself surrounded by many U.S. army bases.)
It can safely be said, that at this point in time, that a sizeable portion of the Japanese population are aware that the relationship between Japan and Russia is less than optimal, and consequently, feel that effort should be directed towards mitigating the situation. At the very least, almost every Japanese recognizes that the ‘bone of contention’ between the two, is the Kuril Islands dispute (76.7%).
Resolving the complicated issue, policy wise, would involve the following actions; firstly, the parties must come to an agreement over the islands, secondly (44.5%), a peace treaty must be signed, and thirdly (34.6%), there must be an expansion of the existing Fisheries Agreement. On a human level, it would help to foster mutual respect and understanding, by encouraging travel between, and exposure to each other (18.8%), and to establish a cultural exchange program between the two countries (17.6%).
In summation, it would appear that in contrast to China or Korea, Russia is a relatively unknown entity to the Japanese. This lack of interest in Russia might be due to the simple fact that the average Japanese has had little or no exposure to, or contact with Russia. In spite of this general lack of knowledge, though, the Japanese remain aware of the importance of establishing and maintaining a good relationship with Russia. The one thing the Japanese do know about Russia, is that the Kuril Islands dispute remains unresolved.
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