The northern territories : challenges in the dispute resolution

Abstract

The territorial dispute between Russia and Japan has been a major obstacle to the development of their bilateral relationship for more than five decades. The present research attempts to establish the reasons behind the countries’ difficulties in resolving this dispute. The argument is made that while various complications in Japanese and Russian domestic politics, as well as the influence of the United States have been major factors impeding the dispute’s resolution, the most significant cause behind the countries inability to resolve the issue at present is the clash of Russian and Japanese national identities. The history of enmity and the feelings of mistrust and suspicion the countries have for each other have prevented them from engaging in a constructive dialogue on the resolution of the territorial dispute.