Moscow leverages Tokyo's need for fossil fuels in bid to boost war-battered economy
Energy is a key foreign policy issue for both Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Nikkei and Reuters)
TAKAKO GAKUTO and MAYUMI HIROSAWA
October 22, 2026 21:41 JST
TOKYO -- Seven decades after agreeing to restore diplomatic ties, Russia and Japan now share only a tenuous relationship, built largely on a shared interest in trade in energy.