China - Japan - Russia

Making recent headlines has been a long-standing dispute between Japan and Russia over the southern Kuril Islands in the Pacific Ocean. BBC  has described the exchange between them as “heated”. Japan’s Prime Minister called a Russian presidential visit to the islands last year an “unforgivable outrage”; Russia’s Foreign Minister called that response “clearly undiplomatic”. They have yet to sign a peace treaty officially ending WWII.  (source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12379331).

Similarly, Japan and China are dealing with territorial disputes of their own. Viewed as a threat to each country’s sovereignty, the disputes call for extensive negotiation between diplomats. As Pamment stated in “Perspectives on the New Public Diplomacy”, public diplomacy is integral to diplomatic practice since it lays the groundwork for negotiation. Pamment describes PD practioners as “communication strategists”, which is exactly what Japan needs to resolve this dispute peacefully and strengthen ties to both Russia and China. Arsenault and Cowan describe three layers of public diplomacy that suggest that monologues may present opportunities for dialogues, which in turn can foster collaborations. For Japan, China and Russia, this seems easier said than done, but cooperation remains inherently necessary in order to counter the escalating tension and avoid conflict.