TOKYO, Dec 10 Japanese government in updated national security strategy plans to characterize Russia as a «serious security concern,» the Asahi newspaper reported, citing government sources.
By the end of 2022, the Japanese Cabinet must submit three updated documents in the field of defense: the national security strategy, the norms of the national defense program and the medium-term defense program. It is possible that an updated national security strategy may be approved as early as the end of next week.
At the same time, the publication emphasizes, there is an opinion in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party that Russia's actions should be considered a «threat» and not «causing concern».
The current version of the national security strategy, which was adopted in 2013, spelled out the need to «promote cooperation in all areas and expand Japanese-Russian relations in general, which will contribute to the security of Japan.»
Relations between Russia and Japan have been overshadowed by the absence of a peace treaty for many years , which countries never signed after World War II. The main obstacle remains the issue of the South Kuriles (the islands of Kunashir, Shikotan, Iturup and the Habomai ridge), which Tokyo claims, referring to the bilateral Treatise on Trade and Borders of 1855.
In 1956, the USSR and Japan adopted a joint declaration in which Moscow agreed after the conclusion of the peace treaty to consider the possibility of transferring Habomai and Shikotan to Japan. The fate of Kunashir and Iturup was not affected. However, subsequent negotiations did not lead to anything. It is possible that Tokyo was influenced by the United States, which threatened that if Japan agreed to the transfer of only two Kuril Islands, this would affect the return of Okinawa to it.
Moscow's position is that the islands became part of the USSR following World War II wars, and Russian sovereignty over them is beyond doubt.