Will Putin’s Kuril Islands visit push Japan closer to Ukraine?
Japan is weighing how far to push back after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a disputed island last week, as analysts debate whether tougher measures would have much impact on Moscow. Some observers urged Japan to recall its ambassador, impose additional sanctions and deepen cooperation with Ukraine to show it would not be “bullied”, while others said Tokyo had little economic leverage…
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to the disputed Kuril Islands would harden anti-Russian sentiment and make restoring relations more difficult in the medium to long term. Japan could respond to the visit by recalling its ambassador, imposing additional sanctions, and deepening cooperation with Ukraine.
However, experts have questioned Japan's ability to impose significant economic penalties on Russia over the visit, as the two countries' economic ties have already been reduced due to the Ukraine conflict. Japan imports over 90% of its crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia, making it difficult to find viable alternatives.
While strengthening support for Ukraine could be a possible response, it remains unclear if Prime Minister Takaichi is interested in such a move.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
