The Kuril Islands: almost detective book about diplomacy and negotiations

Ryutaro Hasimoto or "friend Ryu" as he named Boris Yeltsin, played an active role in the Russian-Japanese dialogue.
“Negotiation art” is the name of a book of eminent Japanese diplomat Masaru Sato, published in Tokyo. The representative of a clan of experts in the Russian-Japanese relations (Russian school) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Sato tells about his role in advancement of a position of Tokyo at negotiations with Moscow on one of the sharpest and difficult themes in the international relations – a problem of territorial dispute between Russia and Japan.

Alcohol and sex are the help to negotiating process

Within 10 years, the author of the book was a leading analyst of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan on the Russian direction and worked in Japanese embassy in Moscow. In 2002 he has been discharged of work. Later was engaged in writing work.
Sato allocates three kinds of negotiations, having characterizing the negotiating process. Some are conducted only for the appearance’s sake. These are “negotiations with the view of avoiding the negotiations”. They are used when “obviously clear that any benefit won't be received in result”. Therefore their parties try to avoid the negotiations to the point by all means. The second kind is «negotiations from a force position». They are noted by means of threats and blackmail “to impose the opinion, without listening to the partner in negotiations”. The third kind is “negotiations through the arrangement of deal. This is “the most widespread kind of negotiations noted by efforts of the parties to agree”.
According to the author of the book, it is acceptable to use the human weaknesses of partners, including their liking for alcohol, sexual attraction, money needs and career aspirations for the sake of achievement of “greater output” from the negotiations. At the same time Sato considers that diplomacy is inseparable from the methods applied by the intelligence service.

Talking about the activity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan on a solution of a problem of northern territories, that is the southern Kuril Islands in 1997-2002, Sato informs that struggle was conducted on two fronts.
On the western front, in Moscow, it had the form of lobbyist activity in the relation to “the high-ranking officials of presidential administration, deputies of parliament, oligarchs with the purpose to convince them that the transfer of four northern islands of Japan and the deepening of the Japanese-Russian strategic partnership are equitable to such national interests of Russia as control of China, maintenance of the Russian influence in Central Asia, etc.”.

At the same time Sato and his colleagues recognized that “to solve a problem of the northern territories in favor of Japan, it is necessary to have the supporters in an environment of the president of Russia. If it is problematic, then to achieve the retirement of anti-Japanese politicians from a presidential environment”.

As a result of the undertaken efforts, the citizens of Japan supposedly managed to achieve that the problem of the northern territories has ceased to be “means for political struggle” in Russia. If someone from deputies brought up this question, “the Japanese party tried to make this deputy the friend of Japan in a different way as, for example, by the invitation to visit Japan, presentation of gifts, invitations to receptions”.

And that’s matters stand on east front. It was the work directly with the population of the northern territories. They tried to convince the inhabitants of islands that their life will improve after return of islands of Japan. Having accepted the Japanese citizenship, they can live and work there still and that who won't want to remain, the lump sum for moving to Sakhalin or on continent will be given.

The Japanese party tried to put under control the life on four islands. For example, having known about the frequent faults in an electrical supply of islands, the representatives of Japan have suggested to supply the diesel electric generators to islands in the humanitarian purposes. But the offered model demanded exclusively Japanese service and oils, that is further already it was impossible to do without close Japanese participation.

Curious character has an example of the lobbyist activity with the use of one of methods of intelligence service made by Sato. In this case it was on two fronts at once. Not named by Sato, the Russian deputy loudly opposed the resulted above “humanitarian gestures” concerning the population of four islands. Sato has got to know that the deputy reflects the interests of "a fishing lobby” of Russia which to the greatest degree can suffer from transfer of islands of Japan. The diplomat invited the deputy to visit Japan. Thus all expenses on a trip were incurred by the Japanese party.

On the third day of the stay in the country the deputy began to show interest to brawdy house visiting, however it was a problem – nobody wanted to accept the strong man of growth more than two meters and weight more than 150 kg. Some Tokyo establishment has saved situation where nevertheless the foreign visitor has been received. After homecoming the deputy has supposedly passed to positions of a pro-Japanese lobby.

It is as usual on the Kuril Islands.

Referring to the Russian logic known to him, Sato notices that “some problems don't dare neither at level of officials, nor at level of ministers. Such questions as the war beginning, the world establishment, territorial concession are resolved by acceptance of the political decision by the head of the state”. In a territorial problem between Russia and Japan “the Japanese party presents the claims. Therefore Japan should consider the Russian logic in negotiating process, namely the prime minister personally should undertake the decision and participate in negotiations”.

Following this principle, Russian school in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan tried to take out negotiations on a territorial problem on the highest level. However it ran across the counteraction in the department. For example, in 1997 the ministry was against the final decision of a territorial problem. The matter is that the very considerable influence was rendered by group of experts in the USA, namely the American school. Being under its own inertia and adhering to a policy of cold war, they were not against improvement of Russian-Japanese relations but without the decision of a territorial problem as it could affect the American-Japanese relations negatively. Nevertheless the Russian school managed to arrange in 1997 a meeting without ties in Krasnoyarsk between the Russian president Boris Yeltsin and the prime minister of Japan Ryutaro Hasimoto. During the meeting, the president of the Russian Federation has made the promise to "use the best efforts" for the conclusion of the peace treaty with Japan till 2000 year. This promise has caused improbable euphoria and feeling in Japanese diplomats that the problem of the northern territories can soon be resolved. Sato was appointed by the head of initiative group for the influence on the Russian politicians with the purpose “to prepare conditions for smooth transfer of the northern territories of Japan”.

However, as it is known, it hasn't occurred. The circumstances developed not in favor of Japan. Soon Hasimoto has left the post after defeat of his party on elections in the parliament of upper chamber and Yeltsin has been entirely anxious by an economic crisis in Russia.
In November of next year there has passed Yeltsin's meeting with the new prime minister of the country Keizo Obuchi. The Japanese party expected that the president of the Russian Federation will answer on the confidential offer which it has received earlier from Hasimoto at a meeting in Cavan. However the Russian party has answered, from which it was clear that it hasn't accepted Cavan plan. But also directly hasn't rejected it. According to the citizens of Japan, the counter offers of the Russian party didn't lead to the final decision of the problem.

Sato gives a curious detail of preparation of Obuchi to a meeting with Yeltsin. The prime minister has paid attention that Hasimoto has three times kissed with Yeltsin. He has asked Sato to explain this Russian custom. The diplomat has explained that the given ceremony strengthens the trust of the Russian people. Then Obuchi asked to show how it to do. “Kiss to the right cheek, kiss to the left check and then to lips”, so Sato has explained this procedure. Having done it with Sato, Obuchi nevertheless couldn't seize sense and Sato was necessary to kiss once again with the present on conversation top politician, the deputy of parliament from Liberal Democratic party Muneo Suzuki, who took care of the Russian school. As a result “Obuchi has gone right a threefold kiss with Yeltsin and all this was for the sake of returning of the northern territories. The kiss between men is a part of art of negotiating”, writes Sato.

Finally the good knowledge of customs of Russia hasn't helped the representatives of Russian school. The government of Junichiro Koizumi which has come to power in 2002 has suspected them of the pro-Moscow sympathies. The representatives of this group have been displaced from the posts and some of them were judged. In particular, Sato has been accused in “drawing of harm to his firm” (that is to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and financial infringements. Indeed, the prison term provided by a sentence was suspended.