TFIGlobal
TFIGlobal
TFIPOST English
TFIPOST हिन्दी
No Result
View All Result
  • Indo-Pacific
  • Americas
  • Canada
  • Indian Subcontinent
  • West Asia
  • Europe
  • Africa
  • The Caribbean
TFIGlobal
  • Indo-Pacific
  • Americas
  • Canada
  • Indian Subcontinent
  • West Asia
  • Europe
  • Africa
  • The Caribbean
No Result
View All Result
TFIGlobal
TFIGlobal
No Result
View All Result
  • Indo-Pacific
  • Americas
  • Canada
  • Indian Subcontinent
  • West Asia
  • Europe
  • Africa
  • The Caribbean

From co-operation on Kuril Islands to Japan’s entry in the Russian Arctic, The Russo-Japanese alliance looks like a surety

Akshay Narang by Akshay Narang
January 31, 2021
in Geopolitics
Russia, Japan, Suga, Putin

(AFP)

Share on FacebookShare on X

Japan, an US ally, hates China, but Biden is not going to help Tokyo punish Beijing. Russia also hates China albeit secretly and again Biden would choose to befriend China if asked to choose between Moscow and Beijing. 

 So, the geopolitical developments are ripe for a Russo-Japanese alliance against China. And this is what is happening after Biden’s rise to power. The US is no longer leading from the front in the battle against an authoritarian China. And therefore, Japan and Russia are coming closer to each other. From the southern Kuril Islands to the Russian Arctic, Tokyo and Moscow are looking to cooperate on all fronts. 

Also Read

Russian deputy mayor and war hero Zaur Gurtsiev assassinated in blast, Ukraine hand suspected

UK pushes military presence in the Arctic provokes Russia

Germany to deploy 40,000 soldiers near Russia’s borders, NATO prepares its flanks

 As per TASS, Russia’s largest news agency, Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi disclosed plans to carry out a joint economic activity with Russia on the Southern Kuril Islands. Motegi made these remarks on Monday during a program speech at the opening session of the Japanese Parliament. 

The Japanese Foreign Minister said, “We are steadily working on carrying out joint economic activity [with Russian] on four northern islands (called Southern Kurils by Russia), as well as on humanitarian projects for their former residents.” He added, “As the ones responsible for the negotiation process, we are working on promoting it in accordance with the policy aimed to resolve the territorial issue and sign a peace treaty [with Russian], following the agreements reached in Singapore in 2018.”

This is a highly symbolic move on Tokyo’s part. The Kuril Islands dispute– a legacy of the Second World War, has been at the root of cold relations between Moscow and Tokyo. Now, the Suga administration in Japan is signalling that it is ready to bury the historical dispute. Russia and Japan shouldn’t be fighting against each other over a decades-old dispute, rather they should be fighting together against a common enemy- China. 

 Motegi himself emphasised the need for “close cooperation between Russia and Japan not only at the level of heads of state, but foreign ministries as well to resolve the issue of the Northern Territories.”   

 However, the Kuril Islands is not the only region where Moscow and Beijing are looking to cooperate. India-Japan-Russia maiden trilateral is looking at energy, coal mining, transport and logistics, maritime connectivity, diamond processing, agro-industry, forestry, pharma, healthcare, high technology, scientific research, capacity building, tourism, humanitarian fields as the areas in which cooperation is possible in the Russian Far East region. 

The trilateral is thus trying to expand cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. It is also looking to explore cooperation in the Russian Arctic. This is what makes a robust Russo-Japanese alliance that much more probable. The Putin administration remains concerned about China’s desire to stake claim over Russian Far East territories like the region’s capital city, Vladivostok. 

Read More: ‘Stay away from Russian Far East,’ Putin sends a tough message to China through Russia’s state-run media

 The Kremlin is even more concerned about Beijing’s desire to develop a polar silk road, presumably as an effort to undermine Moscow’s centrality in the Russian Arctic. Russian President Vladimir Putin is therefore not ready to let Beijing get involved in these regions. In fact, Russian military deployments are more or less pointed against Chinese expansionism in these regions. 

 However, Russia is ready to cooperate with Japan in the Russian Far East and the Russian Arctic. Putin is likely to choose Tokyo over Beijing. And then, New Delhi also helps Japan and Russia get closer. India shares time-tested ties with both Moscow and Tokyo and therefore New Delhi can help formulate a Russo-Japanese alliance. 

 Thus, Japan and Russia are coming together to form an alliance, which would have been dismissed as fanciful and unlikely till very recently.

Tags: ArcticJapanRussiaShort takes
ShareTweetSend
Akshay Narang

Akshay Narang

Patriot, Political Analyst, International Relations expert

Also Read

Israel Approves 22 New Settlements in West Bank

Israel Approves 22 New Settlements in West Bank Amid International Concerns

May 30, 2025
Vucic betrays Putin? Russian agencies find Serbia firms providing ammunition to Ukraine

Vucic betrays Putin? Russian agencies find Serbia firms providing ammunition to Ukraine

May 30, 2025
How Turkey Undermines the Alliances It Claims to Support

Is Turkey Playing Both Sides—or Playing Everyone?

May 30, 2025
Russian deputy mayor and war hero Zaur Gurtsiev assassinated in blast, Ukraine hand suspected

Russian deputy mayor and war hero Zaur Gurtsiev assassinated in blast, Ukraine hand suspected

May 30, 2025
UK pushes military presence in the Arctic provokes Russia

UK pushes military presence in the Arctic provokes Russia

May 29, 2025
Germany to deploy 40,000 soldiers near Russia’s borders, NATO prepares its flanks

Germany to deploy 40,000 soldiers near Russia’s borders, NATO prepares its flanks

May 29, 2025
Youtube Twitter Facebook
TFIGlobalTFIGlobal
Right Arm. Round the World. FAST.
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • TFIPOST – English
  • TFIPOST हिन्दी
  • Careers
  • Brand Partnerships
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy

©2025 - TFI MEDIA PRIVATE LIMITED

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Indo-Pacific
  • Americas
  • Canada
  • Indian Subcontinent
  • West Asia
  • Europe
  • Africa
  • The Caribbean
TFIPOST English
TFIPOST हिन्दी

©2025 - TFI MEDIA PRIVATE LIMITED

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. View our Privacy and Cookie Policy.