Japan

"When Putin in September 2018 offered to immediately sign a treaty without any preconditions attached, Japan rejected it on the grounds that signing it would implicitly force it to give up its claims to the islands. "

Could Japan and Russia be close to ending the Kuril Islands dispute?

Security on the Korean Peninsula: The Latest from RUSI

Tom Plant and Cristina Varriale

A flurry of recent activity on the North Korean diplomatic front has kept researchers in the Proliferation and Nuclear Policy programme at RUSI extremely busy over the past few months. Their latest research findings indicate that policymakers should focus on pursuing small gains over a grand bargain, as well as balancing Tokyo’s long-term view and scepticism of China with Seoul’s focus on short-...

""It's not a big deal that they have this ship," Veerle Nouwens, an Asia-Pacific expert at the Royal United Services Institute, told Business Insider. Japan already has an even more formidable aircraft carrying destroyer active in the region and "they're using it for military exchanges or diplomacy. That's effectively what it's doing by potentially going around to India, Sri Lanka, and Singapore." "

Beijing's response to Japan's new destroyer shows its authoritarian endgame in the South China Sea

Book Review: The Abe Doctrine: Japan’s Proactive Pacifism and Security Strategy

Trevor Taylor

Trevor Taylor reviews The Abe Doctrine: Japan’s Proactive Pacifism and Security Strategy, by Daisuke Akimoto.

Flagging down North Korea on the High Seas

Sara Perlangeli

The tight economic noose around North Korea is being weakened by the regime’s use of flags of convenience by sanctions-evading ships.

Japan–Russia: Another Fine Mess

Jonathan Eyal

Russian President Vladimir Putin imposes new conditions to normalise Moscow’s relations with Tokyo.