The Features of Russia-Japan Relations Under the Second Abe Cabinet

In the context of Russia's turn to the east, Russian-Japanese relations have acquired a new relevance. This study analyzed the process of rapprochement between Russia and Japan, as well as their political dialogue in 2012-2019. Particular attention is paid to the causes of convergence of countries and constraints on the way of building closer relationships. It has been established that the processes of rapprochement between Russia and Japan are influenced by the existing structure of international relations, the defense, foreign policy and economic interests of both countries. Despite the fact that V. Putin and S. Abe managed to build trusting personal contacts and achieve unprecedented intensity of political dialogue, the official positions of the parties regarding the traditional problems of the peace treaty and the disputed territories remained unchanged. Therefore, in this paper we are trying to answer the question of why Russian-Japanese relations have become more active at the present stage and what results can be expected.