Japan-Russia Relations: The Islands Dispute and Geopolitical Culture
The 79th Stockholm Seminar on Japan
Four islands – which are controlled by Russia but claimed by Japan – are the subject of a disagreement stretching back more than two generations. As a result, Japan and Russia have yet to sign a peace treaty to end World War II.
What role does the islands – which are known as the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan – play in the geopolitical culture of both countries? What are the regional implications of the dispute? And will Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and President Vladimir Putin be able to solve the issue during their time in office?
A seminar with leading experts on both sides of the dispute.
Speakers:
Paul Richardson, The School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham
Paul O'Shea, The Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University
Moderator: Björn Jerdén, Head of UI's Asia Programme
The seminar was co-sponsored by Södertörn University.
The Japan seminar series is jointly organized by the European Institute of Japanese Studies at Stockholm School of Economics, the Asia Programme at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, the Department of Asian, Middle Eastern and Turkish Studies at Stockholm University and the Swedish Defence University. It features monthly seminars on Japanese economy, politics and society.