Posted on 11/02/2013 4:03:04 AM PDT by rjbemsha
Japan and Russia held their first joint defense and foreign ministers' meeting on Saturday and agreed to boost security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific as they both warily watch neighboring China's rising influence.
To boost cooperation in the field of security, and not just in the field of economic and people exchanges, means that we are improving overall Japan-Russia ties," Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told a news conference. "This would also have a positive impact on the negotiations to sign a peace treaty."
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Bad move on Japan’s part.They’ve failed to understand that China and Russia are philosophical soul mates and will,when push comes to shove,support each other.Japan would be much wiser to mend fences with South Korea and then form an alliance with them.
A case can be made that geopolitical realty usually trumps ideology. Even when both nations were committed to the worldwide victory of the proletariat, Brezhnev and Kosygin sought capitalist USA’s acquiescence in a nuclear strike on China. I suspect Russia, just the same as in 1969, sees China as a potential mortal danger next door.
CK are right. China and Russia are as much soulmates as Stalin’s USSR and Hitler’s Germany.
Not the smartest move by Japan. Russia would use a China-Japan crisis to grab more Japanese territory.
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