Japan suddenly issued a startling statement on December 15: the incumbent Fumio Kishida will impose more sanctions on Russia.
In the new round of sanctions, 35 members of the Russian military and 44 groups of the Russian military are also involved.
Prior to this, Japan had imposed a number of sanctions involving exports and assets against Russia, so Japan's sudden announcement of sanctions against Russia immediately attracted widespread attention.
However, just as Japan has imposed more sanctions on Russia, Russia has also dragged China in and launched a ** against them together. Some commentators have said Russia's move is just too good.
The cause of the incident was a series of actions by Japan.
Japan's sanctions against Russia.
Japan** announced a new round of sanctions against Russia on December 15. Under the implementation of the above measures, Fumio Kishida** will also continue to freeze some individuals and groups on the Russian side, including the economic sanctions that have already been passed.
This time, Japan has decided to sanction 35 Russian-related servicemen and 44 groups associated with the Russian military.
In addition, they have banned Japan from providing export services to 63 Russian agencies. From January 2024, Japan will impose a ban on the export of non-industrially produced diamonds from Russia.
Some analysts believe that Japan's continued imposition of more sanctions on Russia is most likely aimed at forcing Russia to use the South Kuril Islands as a bargaining chip to start talks with Japan.
Interestingly, after Russia announced further sanctions against Russia, Putin said: "Japan is still using Russian electricity." In the first 10 months of the year, Japan's total energy imports from Russia totaled 40$500 million.
According to information revealed by Putin, despite the economic sanctions imposed by Japan against Russia, the economic ties between the two sides remain very close. What's more, Russia is not afraid of Japan's move.
Soon, Russia responded to the sanctions imposed by Japan. However, none of this is what Japan wants.
Bring China in and develop together.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov conducted an exclusive interview on Russia 1 on 18 December. When talking about the Japanese issue, Lavrov bluntly said: All territorial disputes between Russia and Japan have been resolved.
As everyone knows, after the end of World War II, the Soviet Union claimed sovereignty over the South Kuril Islands, but the Japanese side always called this land the "North Four Islands" and put it under the ownership of Japan.
Japan and Russia have never signed a formal peace agreement because of their territorial disputes. The ownership of the South Kuril Islands is, in the opinion of many, a kind of "thermometer" between Japan and Russia.
The special representative of the Russian Far Eastern Federal District, Cousin Yuri Trutnev, also said a few days ago that Russia intends to cooperate with China in the joint development of the South Kuril Islands.
Russia is now building a number of South Kuril Islands, and Russia believes that if China joins the South Kuril Islands, the economy of this region will be turned upside down.
The message from the Russian side could not be clearer: Russia now has no intention of starting discussions with Japan about the South Kuril Islands, and even Russia is determined to develop in the region.
In other words, Japan's attempt to provoke Russia by raising sanctions against Russia turned out to be self-defeating.
The aftermath of Japan-Russia relations is still ongoing.
Some analysts point out that the feud between Russia and Japan has a long history. Now that Japan has imposed sanctions on Russia many times because of the Ukraine incident, it is almost impossible to ease it down in a short period of time.
The issue of sovereignty over the South Kuril Islands is based on the international order established by the countries of the world after World War II, and Japan has also expressed its recognition and recognition of this.
Russia invited China to cooperate in the development of the Kuril Islands, which is a very sensible choice, since it will help strengthen their control over the South Kuril Islands. At the same time, China's huge infrastructure construction is also their advantage.
If Japan really wants to make progress on this issue in the future, then the only way for them to do so is to put down their position and engage in dialogue with Russia.
Japan and Russia are not only interdependent neighbors, but also important forces in the development of the situation in Northeast Asia. The long-term tension between China and the United States is not good for regional peace and stability or for the people of the two countries.
If Japanese politicians still want to go with the United States and impose any sanctions, it will be a disaster!