Why Japanese politician’s goal to reset ties with Russia is ‘a long shot’

Pro-Kremlin Japanese politician Muneo Suzuki has stated that Russia is seeking to arrange a meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia and Japan in July. Suzuki, who recently rejoined the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, met with senior Russian officials in Moscow, where Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko indicated Moscow's willingness to facilitate talks between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi. These discussions would potentially occur on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in the Philippines. However, analysts view Suzuki's role as a go-between as unlikely to succeed in resetting bilateral ties.