Russia cosies up to Japan in a pivot to Asia
It is trying to profit from the delicate balance of power among the United States, Japan and China.
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FUN fact - World War II is not over yet. Technically, Japan and Russia are still at war. After the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Joseph Stalin hurriedly ordered the Red Army to join the Pacific Theatre, declaring war on Imperial Japan. In the process, the Soviet Union "liberated" the islands of Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan and the Habomai group. Even after Japan's surrender to the allies in August 1945, the USSR continued to occupy the "Southern Kurils", and Russian troops are stationed on the islands to this day.
This territorial dispute has long obstructed the formal signing of a ceasefire, and Russian President Vladimir Putin last week met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss the handover of two islands.
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