‘At rock bottom’: 100 years of Japan-Russia ties come full circle
“The Russian side proceeds from the fact that even today in Japan there are sensible politicians and public figures who are aware of the harmfulness of the anti-Russian course of the official authorities, its negative consequences for the Japanese people,” said the foreign ministry in a statement on January 20.
For many observers, this seemed a bitter irony, given the current state of affairs.
“Since then, political relations have gone from bad to worse. They are at rock bottom,” said James Brown, a professor of international relations specialising in Russian affairs at Temple University’s Tokyo campus.