In early August, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs filed a protest with the Japanese Embassy in Moscow “in connection with Tokyo’s provision of a platform for the Forum of Free Nations of Post-Russia.” The event was held in the capital of the Asian country on August 1-2. Moscow, which has invaded neighboring Ukraine, views Japan’s provision of a platform for the forum as interference in Russia’s internal affairs. In March of this year, it became known that the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation recognized the social movement Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum as “undesirable” in Russia. Representatives of the legislature of Japan also took part in the work of the Tokyo forum. Among them was Yosuke Suzuki (Constitution Democratic Party), a member of the House of Representatives of Japan. The legislator agreed to answer in writing the questions of “Idel.
After graduating from college, he worked for the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation NHK as a reporter. Suzuki received his master’s degree from Columbia University and the London School of Economics.
In December 2015, he was appointed head of the Tokyo 10th district of the Democratic Party of Japan. In October 2016, Suzuki ran for the Democratic Party in Tokyo’s 10th district for the House of Representatives but lost to a Liberal Party representative.
In the general election for the 49th House of Representatives in October 2021, he ran for the Constitution Democratic Party as the candidate of Tokyo’s 10th district and was elected.
— This time your country has become the host of the Forum of Free Nations of Post-Russia. Why is it Japan?
– We border on Russia, we trade with Russia and there are territorial issues between us. Therefore, it is important to understand how Russia would react to holding such a forum.
— You represent the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) of Japan, now a significant opposition force in the country. Does your participation in the Forum signify support for the KDP to hold a political event on Japanese soil?
— I am from the opposition party of the Constitutional Democratic Party. I came to the forum as a politician, not as a party member. Politicians from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Japan Innovation Party (JIP) and the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) also attended the forum. And all these politicians did not represent their parties – they attended it in private. Therefore, I cannot judge whether the forum is supported by the political majority. However, Mr. Zakaev ( positioning himself as the prime minister of the (self-proclaimed) Chechen Republic of Ichkeria – “Idel.Realii” ) was not issued a visa to enter Japan. I think this means that the Japanese government was trying to keep a balance.
The party platform supports raising the minimum wage, expanding welfare policies, legalizing same-sex marriage, strengthening gender equality, the right to abortion, renewable energy policy, decentralization, multilateral foreign policy. The party strongly opposes amending the Japanese Constitution to reinterpret Article 9 or codify the status of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, and opposes nuclear power.
– Recently, we have been asking this question to politicians and experts very often: in your opinion, is there a high probability of the collapse of Russia?
– Not sure. But we must have an idea of how events will develop if this happens. Not sure.
– By invading Ukraine, Russia itself violated the status quo and began to revise internationally recognized borders. Does this mean that Japan has a chance to resolve the issue with the Kuril Islands?
– The Kuril Islands are the territory of Japan, not Russia. This goes without saying. Under no circumstances should the status quo be changed by force. So it was during World War II, and so it is today. We hope that this ( Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – “Idel.Realii” ) will be an opportunity to spread the message to the whole world that we, Japan, are also suffering from unilateral territorial aggression from Russia.
Shortly after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine – in March 2022 – the Russian authorities stopped negotiations on a peace treaty with Japan, which joined the Western sanctions. A month later, in April, the Japanese Foreign Ministry for the first time since 2003 called the Kuril Islands “illegally occupied” territory.
— We often see that in many countries the political elites are completely unaware of the diversity in Russia. Often, even in political circles, they look at Russia with a Moscow-centric look, they don’t know about the national republics. Do the Japanese elites know about the problems of the Tatars, Bashkirs and other peoples of Russia?
“Unfortunately, we did not have enough research on this issue. The forum opens our eyes to this.
– The Tokyo Declaration of the Forum says that the signatories of it call for “an immediate solution to the problem of the occupied northern territories.” Does the “northern territories” mean only the Kuril Islands? And are all the Kuriles?
– First we need to resolve the issue with the Kuril Islands.
Although the issue of Sakhalin does not appear in the official position, the island is often mentioned as a subject of dispute between the two states. As writesOxford Research Encyclopedias, four major events have shaped the history of Sakhalin Island: the Saint Petersburg Peace Treaty of 1875, which removed the island from the traditional international system of East Asia and incorporated it into the modern international system of the West; the Russo-Japanese War of 1905, as a result of which the Japanese captured the southern half of the island; the end of the five-year military occupation of northern Sakhalin by the Japanese in 1925; and the Soviet occupation of southern Sakhalin in 1945. In each of these cases, one can see a holistic picture of the modern history of the Russian-Japanese border island, focusing on the mobility of its inhabitants, how the inhabitants were displaced and forced to leave their homes, and how the island was settled by new people who came to replace them.
– US experts often say that America is not ready for the collapse of Russia and is afraid of nuclear chaos. In this sense, is Japan ready for such a scenario if this happens in Russia?
“Nuclear weapons must be properly controlled. Even if the Russian Federation collapses and many leaders find themselves in disarray, the international community must keep a close eye on oversight. A leader who cannot do this has no right to lead the country.
– After the Second World War, Japan was transformed, became a democracy. Do you think Russia has such a chance?
– Certainly. The Russian people do not need to be silent.
Idel.Реалии
