ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the general state of Japanese-Soviet relations, especially under Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, the economic incentives and disincentives both countries perceive in closer economic cooperation aimed at developing Siberia and the Soviet Far East. It focuses on the role which Japan’s relations with China have played in the broader context of Asian relations. The reasons Japan has cited for the deterioration in relations during the 1980s focus on the increasing Soviet military threat, the perennial dispute over the Northern Territories, and events in Afghanistan and in Poland. In general, since the end of 1984, Soviet statements seemed to indicate greater optimism about the possibility of improved relations with Japan compared to the early 1980s. The ambitious program General Secretary Gorbachev is undertaking in an attempt to restructure the Soviet economy places considerable emphasis on the importance of better developing not only Siberia’s natural resources, but also its own production capabilities.
