Since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Japan's relations with Russia have continued to deteriorate. As a member of the G7, Japan has fully implemented severe Western sanctions against Russia. Kishida** resolutely follows US policy and provides military aid to Ukraine. In retaliation against Japan, Russia broke off a peace treaty with Japan to discuss territorial disputes, and at the same time broke off a series of cooperation between the two countries. Although at that time Moscow said that the two sides could resume negotiations as long as Japan had leeway. However, Kishida** showed no signs of turning back, and instead added sanctions and military aid measures again in the first half of this year. Thus, Russia revised the wording, calling the Kuril Islands their inherent lands and insisting on indisputable sovereignty over the South Kuril Islands.
The scale of the additional sanctions is remarkable, as the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced new bans against Russia, including export bans on 63 organizations linked to the Russian military, 57 of which are Russian entities. These sanctions will be imposed on 22 December. Following the example of the United States, Kishida will join a group of third countries that evade sanctions by the end of the year, a move that has attracted much attention. Analysts believe that once these sanctions are imposed, the last vestiges of trust between Japan and Russia that have been firmly established could be completely broken. And the "joint sanctions" in this sanctions measure may also cause Japan to attract more dissatisfaction from other countries, because of the confusion and bias in the West about the list of countries that "support Russia".
On the other hand, Russia still has a strong strategic deterrent. The Russian army has a fleet of strategic bombers and fighter-bombers of the Aerospace Forces, which puts Japan in a state of insecurity in the East Asian region. And Russia has also significantly accelerated the frequency of cruises to Japan. The most worrying issue is that once Japan implements this decision, there will be basically no hope for the territorial issue. In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Japan's relations with Russia are likely to remain frozen for a long time.
In the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Japanese opposition called on Kishida** to adopt a policy of ambiguity and without losing its position, that is, to stand with the United States, but symbolic sanctions against Russia are sufficient, after all, it is not beneficial to either side to be so hostile to the country located on the doorstep. However, Kishida** has always leaned towards the United States, and this premise is to give up his own interests, which has led to poor relations between Japan and the two major powers surrounding East Asia. As a result, Japan has had to speed up the improvement of relations with South Korea, but this is still facing great difficulties in South Korea.
Japan's move to impose additional sanctions on Russia has further froze relations between the two countries. Although Japan insists on taking a tough stance against Russia along with the West, such an approach is likely to cause Japan to lose the last trust it has with Russia. At the same time, Russia's strong strategic deterrent forces have made Japan's security situation in East Asia more unstable. And in Japan, there is also controversy over the policy choice of ** to deal with the Russian issue. With tensions between Japan and its two neighboring powers, it is inevitable to speed up the improvement of relations with South Korea, but it will not be easy. Faced with a complex geopolitical situation, Japan** needs to think carefully and find solutions that are in the long-term interests of the country.
According to **, Japan recently announced additional sanctions against Russia, which led to a further deterioration in the already tense relations between the two countries. This initiative has attracted a lot of attention in the international arena. The scale of the additional sanctions is unusual, and the sanctions include 63 organizations linked to the Russian military, 57 of which are Russian entities. In addition, Japan plans to join a third-country organization for sanctions evasion by the end of the year, which could attract the displeasure of more countries. The imposition of these sanctions will wreak havoc on the last vestiges of trust between Japan and Russia and could further freeze relations between the two countries.
On the other hand, Russia has a strong strategic deterrent, which puts Japan in a state of insecurity in East Asia. Russia's strategic bomber fleet and fighter-bombers of the Aerospace Forces continue to increase the frequency of cruises against Japan, further increasing tensions. And Japan's policy choice is also controversial. In the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Japanese opposition party called for ** to take a vague position and stand with the United States, but symbolic sanctions against Russia are sufficient. However, Kishida has always leaned towards the position of the United States, which has led to Japan's relations with both neighboring powers becoming bad. Japan has also had to speed up the pace of improving relations with South Korea while being sanctioned, but this is still a big problem in South Korea.
In short, Japan's additional sanctions against Russia could have a major impact on the relationship between the two countries, putting the last vestige of trust between the two countries at risk of being lost. At the same time, Russia's strong strategic deterrent makes Japan feel insecure in the East Asian region. Japan's policy choices have also been controversial, with further implications for tensions in East Asia. In this complex geopolitical situation, Japan** needs to think carefully and find solutions that are in the long-term interests of the country. Only through dialogue and cooperation on an equal footing can we achieve peace, stability and prosperity in the region.