Countries that are concerned with the Northeast Asian territorial disputes during the post-Cold War era demonstrate neo-nationalism, which becomes a realistic matter in politics and diplomacy based on their own country’s national benefits, economy and military, conservative right-wing political power and the public opinions. Most of all, a sample case involves the territorial disputes involving four South-Kuril islands wherein the conflicts continue to get worse in spite of continuous territorial negotiations between the Russian and Japanese Governments in the 1990s. This paper analyzes how nationalism affects the territorial disputes of the four South-Kuril islands regarding the politics, economy, and military of opinion-oriented Russia.
Territorial disputes between Russia and Japan began from the end of World War II, and Russia’ soccupation by force, which combined ‘peculiar-ownership theory and effective control’ and further strengthened nationalism. In particular, the identity for the territories was stressed by both countries, citing exclusive nationalism so that it seems to show post-modernism and neo-nationalism produced by modern disputes and conflicts. Russia’s strong diplomatic policy against Japan regarding their territorial disputes was made even clearer after the President Dmitry Medvedev took office in 2008. In particular, he visited Gunasir iIsland , one of the areas of conflict, in the beginning of November 2010, and strengthened effective governance regarding politics, economy, the military and society.
One to focus on is the maturity of civil society and democratization of Russia; public opinion and participation of civil society are expanding to determine policies as with other countries. Regarding the use of information and communication technologies like the internet, building a strong country politically reveals a powerful leadership to prepare for the presidential elections in 2012. Economic construction, increase of military forces, negative public opinions and nationalism, combined together, directly influence territorial negotiations and resolution to the territorial disputes. Now, it is necessary to remember that the Russian-Japanese territorial disputes did not start legally and historically origin, but the core conflicts between these two nations are varied, and nationalism is strongly connected in reality.