The Impact of the Ukraine Crisis on the Kuril Islands Dispute between Russia and Japan

Abstract

The Kuril islands/Northern Territories dispute between Russia and Japan which represents one of the longest standing territorial disputes in the Asia-Pacific region, is also one of the main reasons for the inability to sign a peace treaty since the end of World War II. Despite the conduct of many negotiations between two parties after the collapse of the USSR , a consensus has not been achieved so far. The efforts of Shinzo Abe who took office in December 2012 to solve the dispute and to develop friendly relations began to bear fruits. However, the 2014 Ukraine crisis has seriously disrupt this positive development. The aim of this study is to investigate the systemic and domestic factors which pushed Moscow and Tokyo for a political solution of this dispute, despite the existence of some provocative steps within the context of the Ukraine crisis.

Keywords

Japan, Kuril Islands, Northern Territories, Russia, Ukraine crisis

Citation

Akçadağ, Emine and Elnur İsmayilov, “The Impact of the Ukraine Crisis on the Kuril Islands Dispute between Russia and Japan”, International Relations, Volume 12, Issue 48, pp. 95-115.

Affiliations

• Emine AKÇADAĞ, Assoc. Prof. Dr., Istanbul Gelişim University, Department of Political Science and International Relations
• Elnur İSMAYİLOV, Ph.D, Westphalian Wilhelms University Münster, Department of International Politics