Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Japan announced a new round of sanctions against Russia in late July in the wake of the recent shooting down of Malaysia Airline MH17 in eastern Ukraine.

The additional sanction measures include freezing assets held by Russian individuals and groups directly involved in Russian action in Crimea and the destabilization in Ukraine. The Japanese government also plans to restrict imports of products from Crimea and withhold approval for new investment projects by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to which Tokyo has been making financial contributions.

As a political mate, military ally and trade partner of the US, Japan has been following Washington's lead in the postwar era and taking the pro-US policy as an umbrella on its way to an economic power.

But meanwhile, Japan has also been attempting to break away from the shackles imposed by its US ally and seek "normal state" status.

Therefore it has spared no effort to engage with other countries, notably Russia with which it has a simmering territorial dispute. But the announcement of the new sanctions will probably bring the effort to restore its relations with Moscow to a halt.

Does this mean Japan has decided to abandon its own interests gained through warming ties with Russia? Actually, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made a rather wise choice.

There are now some insurmountable obstacles facing present-day Japan. Within the framework of the US-dominated value system and military alliance, Japan has no leeway in handling major international and regional issues.

Tokyo is aware that Washington is acting on a whim to impose a fresh round of sanctions on Russia, which is a sign of strategic transformation and expanding competition. The Kremlin's maneuver on the Crimea issue has shamed the White House and damaged its interests on the world stage, which has also prompted Japan to subtly adjust its Russian policy and follow the steps of the Western world.

Tokyo does not worry that its economic ties with Russia will suffer greatly due to the sanctions. Japan knows that Russia is unlikely to put all its stakes of energy cooperation in China, so there will still be opportunities for Tokyo and Moscow to improve their relations in the future.

Moscow needs to cooperate with Japan in energy conservation, environmental protection, healthcare and food development to develop its vast land of the Far East. Furthermore, it is apparent that Russia attempts to cooperate with Japan to counterbalance the influence of growing South Korean-Chinese relations.

Moscow's integration of Crimea adds new variables to the territorial row over the islands known as the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan. It seems that the brewing contention will last for a long time, which actually makes Japan more reluctant to offend the US at this moment.

In addition, Washington supports its firms in exporting shale gas to Tokyo, in a bid to encourage the latter to hedge against China's rising clout in East Asia. With an enlarging US factor in its stable energy supply, Japan cannot afford to challenge the US.

Tokyo-Moscow relations are now on the threshold of a temporary cold period. but it is improper to say that Japan-Russia ties have slumped into an unprecedented plight.

Abe won't easily give up the efforts to warm relations with Moscow during his tenure. The development of the bilateral relations involves Japan's geopolitical interests in Central Asia and even Northeast Asia. And Russia has long been an important partner with great potential for Japan in its energy diplomacy. Therefore Abe has spared no effort to cultivate personal intimacy with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin since he reassumed office.

Whether Putin will visit Japan this autumn is not important in itself, because it is just a diplomatic show without substantial content and it will not wield much influence upon the two nations. 

The author is director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies, Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn