Abe noncommittal on sanctions against Russia over Ukraine

[senheiser]

Japan's embrace of Russia under threat with Ukraine crisis - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun

March 08, 2014
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THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has given no clear indication on whether Japan will join Western nations in imposing sanctions against Russia over the Ukrainian crisis.

U.S. President Barack Obama sought Abe’s cooperation on U.S. sanctions during a 40-minute phone conversation on March 7 that was requested by Washington.

The prime minister, who is eager to maintain cooperative ties with Moscow to solve a bilateral territorial dispute, said he supports Obama’s efforts and expects the Ukrainian situation to improve soon. But Abe only said he takes U.S. sanctions seriously and remained noncommittal on how Japan will respond, government sources said.

“Relations with the United States and Europe are important,” a high-ranking government official said. “But we have the Northern Territories issue with Russia, and have tried to build a rapport between the leaders of the two countries.”

Japan is demanding the return of the Northern Territories, a group of islands off the eastern coast of Hokkaido that were seized by the Soviet Union in the waning days of World War II.

Obama explained the U.S. sanctions, such as restrictions on visas for Russian government officials, when he talked with Russian President Vladimir Putin via telephone on March 6.

The European Union has suspended negotiations on visa-free travel with Russia and will consider further actions unless efforts to ease tensions over the Ukrainian crisis make progress.

Japan was a party to a March 2 Group of Seven statement that criticized Russia’s military action and called for respecting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Still, Tokyo is not considering any concrete action against Russia, a senior Foreign Ministry official said.

Although the United States and Britain called off government delegations to the Sochi Paralympics, Japan sent Yoshitaka Sakurada, senior vice sports minister, to the Opening Ceremony on March 7.

Japan also plans to go ahead with a March 19 investment forum that will bring together Japanese and Russian Cabinet ministers and industry executives in Tokyo.

However, Japan will come under increased pressure from the United States and other countries to fall in line if Russia’s military operations aggravate the Ukrainian crisis.

“We are thinking hard about what action will be in Japan’s best interest,” an aide to Abe said.

(Atsushi Hiroshima and Takuya Suzuki contributed to this article.)

 

[Raphael]

LOL. On one hand, they're desperate for a détente with Russia, to break the possibility of a united mainland Asian front in China/Russia/Korea. On the other hand, their master will hit them if they don't follow the script and impose sanctions. These are the tribulations of a wh0re-state which has no independence to make it's own decisions.

 

[xunzi]

Don't put your money on Japan defying their US's master authority.

 

[tranquilium]

Japan imports rather large amount of petroleum and other energy products from Russia. US is asking Japan to cut its own throat if the "sanction" actually goes, but then again Japanese has willingly neutered itself before, so you never know.

 

[cirr]

You win some，you lose some。

You can't have it both ways。