The Influence of the Territorial Problem on the Development of Russian-Japanese Relations in the Post-Soviet Period

The purpose of the thesis is to determine whether the presence of a territorial problem really influenced the development of Russian-Japanese relations in the post-Soviet period. To achieve this goal, the following research tasks were performed: the historical context underlying the Kuril problem was investigated; the main international legal treaties on this dispute were studied; the main obstacles to solving the problem of territorial demarcation were identified; what factors hindered the development of Russian-Japanese relations were established; An in-depth interview was conducted with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the media and academia of Russia, Japan and Kazakhstan, and possible options for resolving the territorial demarcation between Russia and Japan were identified. To perform research tasks, such methods as comparative (allowed for a comparative analysis of the policy of the prime ministers of Japan), genetic (deepened the understanding of the evolution of Japanese policy towards Russia), interviewing (a clearer picture of important approaches to solving this problem was obtained). The main conclusions of the study show that the presence of a territorial problem did not in any way affect the development of Russian-Japanese relations in the fields of trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation. Factors such as historical memory, belonging to different political blocs, low quality of the Russian market, etc. influenced the development of Russian-Japanese relations. Keywords: territorial problem, Russia, Japan, Peace treaty, Joint Declaration, influence, Russian-Japanese relations