Professional Luncheon:
Itsuro Nakamura, Professor of Tsukuba University;
Muneo Suzuki, Representative of the New Party Daichi;
Kazuhiko Togo, Former Director General of European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The speech and Q & A will be in English and Japanese with simultaneous English interpretation.

Japan and Russia have come a long way in forging closer economic ties since the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991, but that has not been matched in political affairs, with the two countries still unable to sign a peace treaty to formally end World War II. The key stumbling block is the dispute over the ownership of four islands off the coast of Hokkaido that have been under Russian control since the closing days of the war. Negotiations have been ongoing since 1956, when Japan and Russia restored diplomatic ties, but no firm progress has so far been made and the peace treaty still remains elusive.

There are varying opinions in both Japan and in Russia on how the problem needs to be tackled. The Japanese government is demanding the return of all four islands as a precondition for a peace treaty, while the Russian leadership has, on several occasions in the past, hinted it would consider returning two islands after concluding a peace treaty. As Russia becomes more assertive and its economy gains strength, however, Moscow has taken a harder line on the Northern Territories.

On the Japanese side, the hard-liners continue to push for the return of all four islands while others favor a more conciliatory approach. The three speakers at the panel discussion on the Northern Territories will focus on the options available to Japan.

Muneo Suzuki, a former Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, is an old hand in dealing with this problem. He left the ruling LDP in 2002 and was arrested the same year on suspicion of taking bribes. He made a political comeback after winning a Lower House seat in 2006 as an independent candidate. Kazuhiko Togo is a former director general of European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He left the ministry in 2002 and has since been involved in academia. He has also authored several books on Japan-Russia relations and on the Northern Territories issue. Itsuro Nakamura is a professor at Tsukuba University and considered an expert on Japan-Russia relations.

MENU
Sandwich Plate: Pepper beef and lettuce on campagne with tomato & pickles.
Hot Plate: Fillet of sea bream & crab meat gratin with sauteed carrots, green vegetables and salad.

Kazuhiko Togo, Former Director General of European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Muneo Suzuki, Representative of the New Party

Itsuro Nakamura, Professor of Tsukuba University