Pacific Affairs: An International Review of Asia and the Pacific

Volume 74, No. 1

 

Three Years on a Path to Nowhere: The Hashimoto Initiative in Russian-Japanese Relations
By Alexei V. Zagorsky

 

Abstract

The Hashimoto doctrine for Northeast Asia proclaimed by the Japanese Prime-Minister in June 1997 promised a rapid improvement in Japanese-Russian relations. Intensification of the bilateral dialogue culminating at the informal summit at Krasnoyarsk in November 1997 increased high expectations after Russian President Boris Yeltsin pledged to "do his best" to sign the peace treaty by the year 2000; nevertheless, negotiations have been at a stalemate since the subsequent meeting in April 1998.

The article examines the reasons for the failure of the initiative initially assessed as a major breakthrough. The author concludes that the major cause is in the fact that both nations have fallen short of providing a broad ground for mutual cooperation. Both expected the other side to drop the claim for the islands under dispute for the sake of benefits in other fields, but failed to present an appealing vision. The territorial dispute finally emerged as the core of the talks, preventing any possible compromise.