Japanese Nationalism: an Obstacle to Better Relations with Russia?

... demonstrated an upsurge in nationalism, together with a gradual rejection of its policy of ‘pacifism’. On 7 February 2014, when Japan celebrated “Northern Territories Day”, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left for Sochi for the opening of the Olympic Games and had a meeting with Vladimir Putin there the day after. The prospects for Russo-Japanese relations and the implications of the internal political situation in Japan are discussed in this interview with RIAC member Alexander N. Panov , Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia. The 24th Olympic Games opened in Sochi ...