Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said that the resumption of negotiations on a peace treaty with Tokyo in the current environment is impossible. The so-called current environment is that Japan has launched more than 20 sanctions against Russia because of Russia's fight against Ukraine.
Don't talk about what Japan is just, and don't talk about what Russia can do to Japan, there is still gas cooperation between Japan and Russia. Russia has even given Japan dividends on the oil and gas development project in Sakhalin, which shows that no matter how tough Japan sanctions Russia or how tough Russia's attitude towards Japan is, the two sides will compromise with each other on some interests.
First, Russia is economically biased towards cooperation with the West, and Japan, despite its location in Asia, is a Western country through and through. Russia will naturally not let go of cooperation with Japan, after all, Russia lacks funds in the development of the Far East, and there is a lot of cooperation with Japan and South Korea, but in the past two years, because of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, cooperation between the West and Russia has become difficult, but even so, Russia and Spain's high-speed rail cooperation, and Ericsson's 5G network equipment cooperation has not been interrupted.
And the withdrawal of so-called Western companies from Russia is just a change of name and making money, and the West has no intention of completely isolating Russia in the economic field. Especially for the European Union, Russian oil and gas are a key part of hedging against international energy, because of sanctions on Russian energy, the EU's bargaining power is bound to decline, so to this day, Germany has not interrupted the purchase of natural gas from Russia.
Second, from the perspective of its strategic position, Japan, as the bridgehead of the United States, can play a key role in containing the extension of the Russian Navy into the Pacific Ocean. It can be said that in the context of conventional operations, the Russian Navy may not be able to defeat the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. Even at the level of the Air Force, Russia may not be able to take advantage of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force.
Russia's conventional military level determines that most of the deterrence that can be played against Japan is concentrated in symbolic meaning, and Japan is backed by the United States, is it really afraid of how tough Russia will be on Japan? If Russia and Japan really reach the point of saber rattling, the US nuclear bomb may be deployed to Japan's doorstep at any time. As a defeated country in World War II, Japan has never admitted that it lost to Russia.
Third, Japan has a long-standing relationship with Europe, and it is also a G7 country, and if Russia goes too far with Japan, Japan can also create more obstacles for Russia on the stage of the Western world. After all, although Japan is not a world-class power, the West's co-optation of Japan has determined that it will cooperate with Japan's strategy towards Russia to a certain extent, especially in the current context, so it is impossible for Russia to overstimulate Japan, but Japan's conservative sanctions seem to be leaving Russia behind.
Although Japan is a resource-poor country, there are many ways for Japan's energy, oil can be bought from Saudi Arabia, natural gas can be bought from the United States and Australia, and leaving Russia will definitely have an impact on Japan, but it is not indispensable, so Japan can do it without compromise on key issues.
When it comes to the most critical military level, Japan is not only introducing Tomahawk cruise missiles, but also testing new anti-ship missiles on P-1 anti-submarine patrol aircraft, which means that Japan is gradually strengthening its ability to attack targets at sea. Do not think that Japan is only developing its own defense capabilities, in terms of offensive firepower, Japan will be equipped with 147 F-35 stealth fighters, second only to the United States.
What is the concept of 147? It is larger than the American F-22 fifth-generation aircraft. Such a large-scale deployment of fifth-generation aircraft will not only give Japan the ability to attack the mainland of its neighbors, but will also further enhance Japan's ability to attack surface ships in the air.
Japan now has a quasi-aircraft carrier platform at sea, and there will be a Soryu-class underwater, and a large number of Aegis ships, plus the United States has greater geopolitical demands on Japan, which will only further support Japan's military industrial development, a small Japan, is rising towards a military power, and Japan is using the power of the United States to carry out more military interaction with Australia, India and even Southeast Asian countries.
We have to guard against changes in Japan's military field, especially in the next decade, when the United States' global center of gravity will change and Asia will play an increasingly important role in the world economy.
So, how should we deal with Japan's growing military power?
First, to deal with Japan, first of all, not against Japan but against the United States, because it is of little significance to deal with Japan, Japan is just an extension of the global hegemony of the United States, and it will not be able to suppress the United States, but if it suppresses the United States, Japan will have to give in, for example, if Russia can make the United States compromise, will Japan continue to impose sanctions on Russia?
Second, it is necessary to ensure absolute superiority over Japan in terms of ground strike capability, and only in this way can Japan not dare to intervene against the backdrop of the United States and regional countries at war. However, we should not underestimate Japan's determination to cooperate with the United States in the war, that is, to provide logistical support for the US military, so it is very important to warn and deter Japan from hiding far from the military level.
Third, it is necessary to export more cutting-edge equipment to Asian countries, so as to enhance regional influence, and only in this way can Japan's military influence be suppressed. Japan is small, but it has to be guarded against.