As the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region (APR) and members of the Group of Eight, Russia and Japan are equally interested in stability in the region. Both countries are tied by common interests in various issues, including the establishment of constructive and future-oriented relations between the countries of the region, strengthening such structures as ASEAN and APEC with the purpose of versatile, open and mutually advantageous regional cooperation. In this respect, both countries have great potential.
Russia seeks to achieve the development of the Far East and Eastern Siberia through interaction with Asian countries, so it is interested to have in the name of Japan a reliable, friendly partner. In this regard, the land of the rising sun, with its advanced technical capabilities, rich financial resources and enormous steady market, can play an important role. This will make it possible to more successfully, less expensively solve problems of security, stability, economic and social development of the Far Eastern regions, and more confidently conduct a business for Russia’s active involvement in the integration processes in the Asia-Pacific Region. Both countries have therefore great potential for cooperation.
Russia and Japan have common strategic interests in various fields. Meanwhile, the cooperation between them, despite certain outstanding issues has serious perspectives. In the first place, this is the cooperation in the economic sphere, where both countries augment each other's potentials. Russia has abundant natural resources, and Japan high technologies. The cooperation in resources development is, of course, very beneficial to both countries. Furthermore, Japan’s technological capacity and know-how should be of great interest for Russia, which seeks to expand the industrial structure and enhance its added value.
The Russian-Japanese cooperation in the automobile industry is one of the important foundations for advancing the economic relations between our countries. In recent years Japanese automobile companies Toyota, Nissan, Suzuki, and Isuzu have been rapidly advanced in the Russian market. These companies contribute to the solution of important economic problems that Russia is now facing such as the development of various industries (particularly processing industry) and the development of regions.
It is important that through the factory production with the use of Russian personnel and materials Japanese manufacturing technologies are transferred to Russia, technical professionals are prepared for the relevant small and medium-sized manufacturers, the accumulation of its own know-how. Automobile companies are usually followed by the related business: component parts, spare parts, finances, logistics, etc.. And it will certainly promote the Russian government's industrial policy aimed developing process industries.
Japan proposed the “Initiative for strengthening the Russian-Japanese cooperation in the Far East and Eastern Siberia”. This document concerns both countries’ spheres of interests in various fields, including energy, transport, information and communications, environmental protection, security and so on. The establishment of the Russian-Japanese cooperation can make a significant contribution to the implementation of the adopted in Russia Federal Target Programme “Economic and social development of the Far East and Transbaikalia until 2013”.
In the Far East and Eastern Siberia, Russia and Japan have considerable capabilities for further development of mutually advantageous cooperation in energy sector, which has always been and will be one of the important directions of the Russian-Japanese economic cooperation. This is the successful implementation of the Sakhalin projects involving Japanese companies. Moreover, Japan and Russia are discussing what kind of cooperation may be in the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline, as well as in developing fields in Eastern Siberia.
An extremely important aspect of cooperation is the area of high technology. There are new industries, where Japan has excellent technological developments. They are construction of high-speed railways, ICT, power industry, liquefied natural gas production, oil processing, etc. Cooperation in these areas meets the strategic interests of both Japan and Russia. Both countries adhere to a common opinion with regard to finding and implementing joint projects in these areas.
There are also areas where both countries have high technology, such as nuclear energy, nanotechnology. Cooperation in such areas is crucial for both countries.
Russia and Japan have not only the economic interests in common. Stable relations are maintained between the Russian Federal Border Service and Japan's Maritime Security Agency, including the cooperation in the prosecution of illegal and non-compliant vessel. Exchanges between law enforcement and customs authorities have been established. Cooperation between Russia and Japan in the field of fishery, including fisheries by Japanese and Russian fishermen within the 200-mile zone of the other party, is the most important and historical sphere of relationships for both countries.
Thus, Russia and Japan, in spite of different points of view on a number of problems, have common interests in many fields. Moreover, the national interests of Japan and Russia do not contradict each other; on the contrary, they are very similar in many ways, especially with regard to the Asia-Pacific Region. At the same time, the aspiration towards a partnership on the basis of common strategic interests and cooperation in recent years have reached a high level.
