Japan and Russia in talks, good premises for the future

[TORA]

From :

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gnUQTYNEjNrg4iR1umf7XWuCJM9wD96DQUL80


Russia, Japan discuss disputed island territory

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/media/ALeqM5jk8-G48Ia0a3BZU_gkymFbCVsjEA?size=m

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso met Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on an island near disputed resource-rich maritime territory Wednesday, hoping to make progress toward resolving a dispute lingering since World war II.
It is the first time a Japanese premier has set foot on the island of Sakhalin, 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo, since Russia claimed a series of nearby small islands in the final days of World War II, Japan's Foreign Ministry said. The island is only 30 miles (50 kilometers) from Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido.
Aso said he hopes the visit will strengthen strategic relations with Russia and lay the groundwork for a settlement of the row, which has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending the war.
"I think this is an important step," Aso told reporters, without specifying concrete measures toward a resolution.
The area in question is a cluster of islands between the two countries, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and the southern Kurils in Russia, amid rich fishing grounds and billions of dollars worth of undersea gas and oil reserves.
Sakhalin, the site of Wednesday's meeting, is just northwest of the contested area.
Kyodo News agency reported that the two leaders vowed to seek a speedy solution and agreed to a visit to Japan by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in May.
During the day trip, Aso was also to attend the inauguration of Russia's first liquefied natural gas plant, part of the $22 billion Sakhalin-2 oil and natural gas development project in which Japanese trading houses Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. have stakes.
The project, which is expected to contribute 7 percent of Japan's annual liquid natural gas imports, is seen as a key option for energy-poor Japan, virtually all of whose oil imports come from the Middle East.

[TORA]

That's really a good news...

Tokyo and Moscow need boost for a strategic partnership in Eastern Asia. There's little to lose here...

[1curious]

As I just posted in another thread - it's an extremely important news...

For the life of me, I can not figure out WTF takes the Russians so long to resolve the issue...they stand to benefit in so many ways that to me it's almost no brainer.

Not only they could get Japan's overfilled coffers to start developing Far East, they could also achieve a strategic breakthrough - pulling Japan into their sphere of influence (I can see some started shaking p-)) and weakening their ties with NATO.

[Arbody]

I can not figure out WTF takes the Russians so long
We try in 1956 and 2005 ( 50/50) p-) 4 islands 2 for Me 2 for You , but Japan refused it and it's not about the land it's about rich teritorial watres

[TORA]

As I just posted in another thread - it's an extremely important news...

Not only they could get Japan's overfilled coffers to start developing Far East, they could also achieve a strategic breakthrough - pulling Japan into their sphere of influence (I can see some started shaking p-)) and weakening their ties with NATO.

Moscow is smartly begin to open not only to Japan but also Turkey, 2 powerful historical rivals.

But the soviet threat is dead long ago...and Moscow is no more a threat like the NATO want shows.

Tokyo want resolve this question as soon as possible and Moscow understood how many benefits will receive with a strong Japanese alliance. Having Tokyo with your side is not like have Beijing...mean a lot more, huge, fast and healthy development of Russian far east.

I can see more easily a strong partnership between Tokyo and Moscow instead that Beijing, the Russians are understanding this...

I hope Japan and Russia will put an end to their misunderstandings, for boost a powerfull alliance for their common security and prosperity.

But it's still early...we need wait still a while.

[Eztyga]

That's really a good news...

Tokyo and Moscow need boost for a strategic partnership in Eastern Asia. There's little to lose here...

Not for the wildlife that lives on the island...

[TORA]

We try in 1956 and 2005 ( 50/50) p-) 4 islands 2 for Me 2 for You , but Japan refused it and it's not about the land it's about rich teritorial watres

Yeah, especially crabs fishing! Japanese are known for rape the seas!:)

[1curious]

Moscow is smartly begin to open not only to Japan but also Turkey, 2 powerful historical rivals.
Agreed. I posted my views on Russia-Turkey elsewhere, including here
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showpost.php?p=3923496&postcount=2

But the soviet threat is dead long ago...and Moscow is no more a threat like the NATO want shows.Agreed again. Japan is no longer in the same vulnerable position it was during the Cold War. Russia's strategic views are no longer incompatible with Japan's. I do however believe, Japan still needs the US security cooperation, particularly the nuclear umbrella. It's better for everyone if Japan stays non-nuclear.


Tokyo want resolve this question as soon as possible and Moscow understood how many benefits will receive with a strong Japanese alliance.As I said, it blows my mind, why the Russians are so obtuse re. the golden opportunity!!!

I actually spent some times studying the legal and historical aspects of the territorial problem. I don't think the Russians have the legal leg to stand on - that is, if the international court was deciding, they'd lose. Also, the benefits of being flexible far outweigh the immediate civil rights of sea creatures around the islands. Plus, I don't think the potential underwater gas and oil have been discovered yet. They got all of that in Sakhalin.


I can see more easily a strong partnership between Tokyo and Moscow instead that Beijing, the Russians are understanding this...It does not have to be instead. And I don't think Russia and Japan can become "brothers". Cool, rational trade relations is good enough.

[TORA]

I do however believe, Japan still needs the US security cooperation, particularly the nuclear umbrella. It's better for everyone if Japan stays non-nuclear.

U.S. Forces in Japan are still needed for a while, 2 decades may be but not so longer. With a Japan Defense Force established the country will able to defend all it's interest.

Many doubt how really the U.S. wil intervene in a nuclear war for defend a third country...in 2006 after the NK missile test they asked for nuclear weapons and it is known that Japan is able to build a nuclear arsenal in a matter of time. They have state of the art missiles with MIRV capabilities such the M-V series for example...

I'm for Japan to acquire nukes if necessary.

Anyway this is a good news...is a good step for begin to leave from the U.S. dependance.

[TORA]

From :


http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=a1D6s0YanQd8&refer=japan


Russia, Japan Should Boost Trade Ties, Medvedev Says (Update1)


By Stephen Bierman and Lyubov ****ina

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/data?pid=avimage&iid=iL3RFZmyGaVo

Feb. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (http://search.bloomberg.com/search?q=Dmitry+Medvedev&site=wnews&client=wnews&proxystylesheet=wnews&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=p&getfields=wnnis&sort=date:D:S:d1) called on his country and Japan to consider expanding trade ties as he unveiled a liquefied natural gas plant that will boost exports to Asia and the U.S.
“Our trade is steadily growing, last year it was $30 billion,” Medvedev said today in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, on Sakhalin Island off Russia’s Pacific coast, during his meeting with Japan’s Prime Minister Taro Aso (http://search.bloomberg.com/search?q=Taro+Aso&site=wnews&client=wnews&proxystylesheet=wnews&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=p&getfields=wnnis&sort=date:D:S:d1). “It is a good number but we have to think about further expansion of trade relations.”
Medvedev, a former OAO Gazprom chairman, and Aso came to Sakhalin for a ceremony inaugurating Russia’s first liquefied natural gas plant, which has contracts to deliver LNG to nine customers in Japan. The two leaders discussed energy cooperation and a territorial dispute between their countries.
“Russia will be a new and big kid on the block in Asia’s LNG market,” Lalita Gupta (http://search.bloomberg.com/search?q=Lalita+Gupta&site=wnews&client=wnews&proxystylesheet=wnews&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=p&getfields=wnnis&sort=date:D:S:d1), an energy analyst and vice president of Morgan Stanley Japan Securities Co., said by phone from Tokyo before today’s meeting. “With its vast oil and gas reserves around Sakhalin island, Russia will play a major role in Asia.”
Aso the first postwar Japanese leader to visit Sakhalin, said the gas project is a “symbol of Russian-Japanese cooperation in the Asia Pacific region.”
Seized Territory
Japan has repeatedly demanded that Russia return four islands near Sakhalin seized by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. Failure to reach an agreement on the islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Kurils in Russia, has prevented the countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending the war.
Russia, holder of the world’s largest gas reserves, is seeking to coordinate investment and output with other producing nations as LNG opens up markets unreachable by pipeline. The opening of the Sakhalin LNG plant comes just a month after Russia resumed gas shipments to Europe following a dispute with Ukraine which squeezed supplies to the European Union for almost two weeks and damaged both countries’ credibility as reliable energy suppliers.
Loading of LNG, gas compressed to a liquid for transportation by tanker, is planned to begin at the end of March. Gazprom, whose profits still depend on gas piped to Europe, plans to spend $45 billion on LNG projects over the next 20 years.
The state-run company, with no LNG experience of its own, took control of the Sakhalin-2 development from Royal Dutch Shell Plc in 2006 after regulators threatened to close the $22 billion project on environmental grounds.
The new plant is located 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. Its contracts to deliver LNG include one client in South Korea and one buyer in North America in addition to the nine Japanese customers, said Ivan Chernyakhovsky (http://search.bloomberg.com/search?q=Ivan%0AChernyakhovsky&site=wnews&client=wnews&proxystylesheet=wnews&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=p&getfields=wnnis&sort=date:D:S:d1), the spokesman for project operator Sakhalin Energy. Sakhalin-2 will reach its annual capacity of 9.6 million tons of LNG next year, he said.

[1curious]

in 2006 after the NK missile test they asked for nuclear weapons and it is known that Japan is able to build a nuclear arsenal in a matter of time. According to open sources the "matter of time" could be as short as 6 months if Japan decides to do so. Japan is extremely well equipped for that.

I'm for Japan to acquire nukes if necessary.
It's Japan's decision and I understand it's an extreme case but I don't think it would be a wise decision...

[TORA]

According to open sources the "matter of time" could be as short as 6 months if Japan decides to do so. Japan is extremely well equipped for that.

Confirm that.




It's Japan's decision and I understand it's an extreme case but I don't think it would be a wise decision...

I don't rely on the U.S. umbrella, they will sacrifice themselves for save a third country? Really not, but that's quite normal for anyone in such situations...

Latest technologies and ABM systems should be the FIRST priority, and actually they are.