Following Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 18 in Los Cabos, Mexico, prior to the Group of 20 summit, the Foreign Ministry announced that they agreed to "reactivate" talks on the long-standing territorial dispute over four islands off Hokkaido known in Japan as the Northern Territories. Developments since the meeting show that the road leading to a breakthrough in the dispute is strewn with obstacles and extremely difficult. For example, it has since been learned that neither Mr. Noda nor Mr. Putin used the word "reactivate" — meaning the Foreign Ministry misled the media and the public.
Japan should discard any wishful thinking that progress will be achieved on the territorial issue simply because Mr. Putin had expressed a strong desire to improve bilateral relations before he started his third term as president in May. Instead, Japan should overhaul its strategy on how to deal with Russia on the issue.
On July 3, Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev visited Kunashiri, one of the disputed islands. As president he made a similar visit in November 2010, which made him the first Russian head of state to visit the disputed territories.
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