Relationship dossier
Japan
Russia
Relationship assessment
A longstanding island dispute and sharply reduced cooperation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine define current relations.
Japan toward Russia
-50Japan imposed financial and trade sanctions on Russia following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and joined broader G7 measures. Japan continues to claim the southern Kuril Islands, while earlier governments pursued dialogue and economic cooperation, including arrangements concerning energy projects and proposed joint activities near the disputed islands.
Russia toward Japan
-55Russia suspended peace-treaty negotiations with Japan in 2022 and ended discussions on joint economic activities around the disputed islands, citing Japan’s sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine. Russia also designated Japan an unfriendly country and imposed related countermeasures. Earlier, the two governments maintained energy and economic cooperation despite the unresolved territorial dispute.
Overall relationship
-50The enduring relationship is constrained by the unresolved dispute over the southern Kuril Islands and the absence of a postwar peace treaty. Economic and energy cooperation and periodic diplomatic initiatives have coexisted with that dispute, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting sanctions and countermeasures sharply intensified bilateral confrontation.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Japan–Russia relations combine a long-running dispute over the southern Kuril Islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories, with periods of economic engagement. Relations deteriorated sharply after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine: Japan imposed sanctions, while Russia suspended peace-treaty negotiations and took countermeasures against Japan. Earlier cooperation included energy projects and bilateral arrangements to discuss joint activities around the disputed islands.
Areas of tension
- Sovereignty over the southern Kuril Islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan.
- The absence of a peace treaty formally ending the Second World War between Japan and Russia.
- Japan’s sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine and Russia’s retaliatory measures.
- Russia’s suspension of peace-treaty negotiations and discussions of joint activities around the disputed islands.
Key developments
The Soviet Union and Japan signed a joint declaration restoring diplomatic relations and providing for the end of the state of war; the declaration contemplated continued negotiations toward a peace treaty.
Japan imposed sanctions on Russia following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while Russia suspended peace-treaty negotiations and discussions of joint economic activities around the disputed islands.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and practical implementation of remaining Japan–Russia economic cooperation, including in energy, are unclear.
- The prospects for renewed peace-treaty negotiations and joint activities around the disputed islands are uncertain.