The horrific tsunami and nuclear disaster that hit Japan may help resolve the 50-year island dispute. For decades, both sides have remained entrenched in their positions. Russia has basically said, “The Kuril Islands are ours, and we don’t care what the Japanese think.” For its part, Japan stubbornly demands that the islands — which it calls the Northern Territories — be returned immediately and unconditionally. Should Russia respond to Japan’s current troubles by easing its traditionally adversarial stance on this issue, or should it take the opposite tack by using Japan’s weakened condition to try to force a solution?
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