Economic Treaty: Russia and Japan May Formally End World War II Hostilities

It is a little known fact to many that Japan and Russia never formally entered into a peace treaty following World War II. The dispute has continued these many decades because the two countries still dispute the proper ownership of a chain of islands still held by Russia off Hokkaido.

It is a little known fact to many that Japan and Russia never formally entered into a peace treaty following World War II. The dispute has continued these many decades because the two countries still dispute the proper ownership of a chain of islands still held by Russia off Hokkaido.

On Wednesday, more than 70 years after the actual fighting of WWII ended, senior Japanese and Russian officials agreed to continue negotiations for a peace treaty. With so much time behind them, the peace treaty is more likely to take the form of a largely economic pact between the two nations, though discussions regarding the ownership of the islands in question will likely figure prominently.

The recently agreed upon round of treaty talks will take place in Moscow according to a statement by Chikahito Harada, Japanese Ambassador and Representative in Charge of Japan-Russia Relations. The announcement came following a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov in Tokyo.

President Shinzo Abe of Japan and President Vladimir Putin of Russia are already slated to meet in September in Vladivostok. Harada expressed optimism that the treaty negotiations could take place prior to the meeting of the two presidents, possibly paving the way for even more productive discussions on strengthening trade between the two.

In May, Abe and Putin met in Sochi, and agreed to renew these attempts at formalizing a post-WWII treaty. At the time, they said they would adopt a “new approach” to this round of negotiations.

Harada explained: “We presented our respective ideas based on the new approach, which means that both sides will present new ideas and wisdom, free of past ideas, to overcome differences and seek a breakthrough in stalled negotiations.” Harada declined to make further comment as to the contents of the discussions.

In the May meeting, Japan proposed an eight-point economic cooperation plan. The plan would spur development in Russia’s furthest eastern territory, and Japan would have a favorable role in that development. This could deepen economic ties between the two nations and possibly open up compromises to resolve the dispute over the islands.

For its part, Russia maintains that it legitimately annexed the islands at the conclusion of World War II. Japan disputes this contention, and sees Russia as an occupier of its sovereign territory. Throughout the decades of treaty negotiations, Japan has always argued that the ownership of these islands must first be resolved before a peace treaty could be finalized. Russia, on the other hand, refuses to acknowledge Japan’s claim and has always argued that a peace treaty and the issue of ownership are not directly related.

By focusing on shared economic goals, both sides hope to establish sufficient common ground to bridge the gap that has prevented successful treaty negotiations for the last 70 years, and finally put to rest (at least on paper) the hostilities of WWII.