Japan, Russia: Indications of a Tectonic Shift

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev replaced his special representative to the Russian Far East on April 30. The new representative, Viktor Ishayev, is affiliated with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and has long been a fixture of Russian Far East relations. Most significantly, Ishayev has close connections with the Japanese. Coming less than two weeks before Putin heads to Japan to discuss the issue of four disputed islands, the move follows a pattern of growing Russian interest in the Asia-Pacific region, and may point to a shift in Russia's focus from China to Japan.