Centrum Stosunków Międzynarodowych - 16 December 2016: Russia-Japan summit concludes, Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin wrapped up two days of talks on Friday, with numerous economic deals but no big breakthrough on the territorial row that has overshadowed ties since World War Two. In total the two leaders signed 68 agreements, many focusing on energy development deals.The Russian Direct Investment Fund and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a $1 billion investment fund to promote economic cooperation between the two countries.

The Russian energy company Novatek announced it had signed agreements with Japan’s Mitsubishi and Marubeni corporations on an Arctic LNG project. Some analysts have read the extensive agreements for energy developments, alongside Shinzo Abe’s recent meeting with President-elect Trump, as a signal that sanctions against the Russian Federation are likely to be scrapped by the new administration.