Japan PM Ishiba axes Russia cooperation post, signalling tougher stance against Moscow

The move reflects Tokyo’s growing frustration at stalled negotiations over disputed islands and marks a departure from Shinzo Abe’s policies

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Kurilsk town on the island of Iturup, one of the four islands that are part of a decades-long territorial dispute between Japan and Russia. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:00am, 9 Oct 2024Updated: 9:20am, 9 Oct 2024

Japan’s newly appointed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has taken a decisive step away from his predecessors’ approach to relations with Russia by swiftly abolishing the ministerial post dedicated to economic cooperation with Moscow.

The move not only signifies a shift in Tokyo’s strategy regarding the long-standing territorial dispute over islands off Hokkaido but also reflects a tougher stance amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi confirmed the decision on Monday, telling reporters that Ishiba had personally chosen to abolish the post.

Analysts interpret the action as a clear signal that Ishiba is sceptical about reclaiming the islands, which were seized by Soviet forces at the end of World War II, and as a critique of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s failed attempts to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the territory.

Critics argue that Abe’s multiple meetings with Putin were little more than a charade on the Russian leader’s part, designed to extract concessions while holding out false hope for a resolution over the islands – known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in Russia as the Southern Kurils.

Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Photo: Kyodo

“What is really interesting to me is not that this post has been abolished, but that it lasted so long,” said James Brown, an expert on Japan-Russia ties and a professor of international relations and at the Tokyo campus of Temple University.