According to TASS on the 11th, Russian Ambassador to Japan Nzdrevlev said in an interview that Russo-Japanese relations have entered a "glacial period," with bilateral ties experiencing an unprecedented deterioration since World War II.

Nzdrevlev stated that Russia and Japan once maintained a highly close bilateral relationship and established numerous mature and effective interaction mechanisms. However, the positive momentum accumulated over the past decades has been almost entirely destroyed by the Japanese authorities.

The Russian envoy used the term "glacial period" to describe the state of Russo-Japanese relations, indicating that bilateral ties are essentially frozen, with little hope of thawing in the near term.

The responsibility for the tension in Russo-Japanese relations lies entirely with Japan. Japan's alignment with the West during the Russia-Ukraine conflict served as the catalyst for the deterioration.

After the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted in 2022, Japan chose to follow the U.S. and Europe in imposing multiple rounds of sanctions against Russia. Specific measures included freezing assets of the Russian Central Bank, restricting imports and exports, and expelling diplomats—actions which Moscow views as "hostile and short-sighted." The Russian side believes Japan has weaponized economic relations, sacrificing decades of accumulated cooperation for the geopolitical goal of countering Russia.

The worsening of relations has led to a complete halt in territorial and peace treaty negotiations.

The territorial dispute over the "Southern Kuril Islands/Northern Four Islands" remains the fundamental reason why the two countries have not yet signed a peace treaty. As relations deteriorated, this core political dialogue has been completely suspended. In March 2024, Russia announced it would refuse any talks on a peace treaty with Japan as a countermeasure.

At the same time, Russia revoked Japan’s visa-free access for citizens and suspended economic cooperation around the four islands. Moscow made clear that resuming negotiations is "impossible" unless Japan changes its policy.

The cycle of sanctions and counter-sanctions has spilled beyond the political and diplomatic spheres, spreading across all levels:

* Both sides have mutually expelled diplomats and imposed entry bans on personnel.

* Russia strongly criticized Japan for supplying military technologies such as drones to Ukraine, accusing these actions of directly undermining Russian security interests. At the same time, Russia also accused Japan of exploiting the situation to promote the "threat from neighboring countries" narrative, paving the way for its own military expansion.

* As a key partner in energy cooperation, Russia has halted fishing cooperation talks near disputed islands, and prospects for energy collaboration now appear bleak.

Russo-Japanese relations are at their worst since World War II. Both sides insist that the diplomatic foundation has been severely damaged, and unless there is a major fundamental shift, this "glacial period" will continue for the foreseeable future.

The Strait of Hormuz is blocked, Japan faces an energy crisis, and the Japanese people lower their heads to seek energy support from Russia—but Russia actually sells them energy.

The driving force of interest is immeasurable.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864929459621900/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.