ABSTRACT
Since returning to office in 2012, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pursued deeper Russo–Japanese ties as a prelude to settling the Northern Territories dispute that has prevented the conclusion of a peace treaty since 1945. Russian president Vladimir Putin has appeared to welcome Abe’s overtures, raising expectations of greater bilateral economic cooperation and of a potential territorial settlement. Yet, despite expectations, this chapter argues that Abe’s policy of rapprochement with Russia has largely failed, delivering few significant political or economic gains. Domestic factors within Russia, including strong nationalist sentiments stoked by the Kremlin for political expediency, are cited as the main impediment to a territorial compromise.
