Introduction

For Japan, the import of natural resources from Russia has special significance. Japan relies heavily on imports for its natural resources. For energy in particular, Japan has depended on imported oil since the high economic growth of the 1960s. As of 2020, oil accounts for 36.4 percent of Japan’s primary energy supply, coal for 24.6 percent, and natural gas for 23.8 percent, and almost all of these resources are imported. Moreover, Japan is completely surrounded by the sea, not connected by pipelines of oil and gas or electric power cables from abroad, and it obtains more than 90 percent of its imported oil from the politically unstable Middle East via the long sea lane that has some choke points. Energy resources, especially oil, have been recognized as “strategic products” that are indispensable to sustaining a country’s industry and society. “Energy security” or “securing a necessary and sufficient amount of energy at a reasonable price” has been regarded as one of the government’s main missions. Japan’s energy security is deeply vulnerable, which inevitably makes “resource diplomacy” occupy a vital position in Japanese foreign policy.

Russia is one of the world’s leading producers of many natural resources that Japan needs and its ports in the Far Eastern region are very close to Japan. Resource imports from Russia have great potential for addressing Japan’s resource procurement vulnerability. Because Japan has industrial products and technologies needed by Russia, Japan–Russia resource cooperation has the potential for development.

However, Japan–Russia resource cooperation has always been greatly affected by several political factors. Not only during the Cold War, but afterwards as well, the relations with the US have been the axis of Japan’s foreign policy; therefore, US–Russia relations have cast a long shadow on Japan–Russia cooperation.