Japanese-Russian civil diplomacy in the period of 2022 – the first half of 2023

Abstract

The article is devoted to the state of Russian-Japanese relations at the level of civil diplomacy for the period of 2022 – the first half of 2023. Special attention is paid to the activities of Japanese public figures and scientists, holding events, publishing printed materials and interviews. Examples are given both from open sources, including Japanese ones, and from resources not accessible from Russia due to the restrictions or because of absence of electronic versions, as well as from the author's personal material. Some names and titles are mentioned and described in works of the Russian researchers for the first time. The analysis of publications and work of Japanese organizations allows us to conclude that despite the extreme aggravation of Japanese-Russian relations, there is a stratum of people in Japan who want to understand Russia's position, develop further ties with it, convey ideas unavailable in Japan due to the one-sided presentation of information related to Russia's special military operation.

Keywords

• russian-japanese relations
• civil diplomacy
• cultural ties
• humanitarian exchange
• information war