Japan not active enough in holding dialogue with Russia--Edano

TOKYO, February 3 (Itar-Tass) -- Yukio Edano, Chief Cabinet Secretary
of Japan, is of the opinion that Japan is not active enough in holding a
high-level dialogue with Russia. "This is true not only of our Democratic
Party Government. It would have been better if the previous governments
had been more involved in a political dialogue with Russia on a high
level," he said at a press conference here on Thursday.
"It is important for the government of Naoto Kan to tackle the problem
with greater energy for the purpose of settling territorial problems and
further developing relations with Russia," he added. Edano, who has the
reputation of the second most influential person in the Japanese
government, responded in this way to the criticism coming from Masaharu
Kono, Japan's ambassador to Russia. Kono said in the central office of the
opposition Liberal Democratic Party on Tuesday that problems in relations
with Moscow were the result of unnecessary strongly worded statements and
the slowing down of a bilateral political dialogue on the summit level.
"Russia is displeased, and its patience is running thin," Kono said
and pointed to the two reasons for that. In his opinion, the first reason
is "statements, which bring about the heightening of emotions among both
nations," including the words "illegal occupation" of the South Kuril
Islands, which are often used in Japan. The South Kuril Islands are called
"northern territories" in Japan. Kono believes that the second reason is
that "the political dialogue between the two countries on the summit level
is not going on."
"Russia wishes to learn much from Japan concerning economic
modernization. The question is how we should respond to it," Kono stressed.
President Dmitry Medvedev visited the South Kuril Islands on November
1, 2010, after which Kono was summoned to Tokyo for consultations as a
manifestation of protest. After that the Japanese government blamed him
for bad work for the collection of information in Moscow. The Tokyo mass
media reported that Kono could be removed from his post soon.