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Japan Breaks with U.S. Allies, Buys Russian Oil at Prices Above Cap

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11–20 of 209 posts

Re: Japan Breaks with U.S. Allies, Buys Russian Oil at Prices Above Cap

#11
post #7
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> At least one middling positive of the invasion has been a litmus test for the levels of integrity of various countries. Russia annexed Crimea almost a decade ago. If you haven't read the writing on the wall and maneuvered independence you're incompetent or immoral. I can’t really parse this. Why should Japan care about Crimea or Ukraine?

Looking at OSM, the sea borders of Russia and Japan touch. That seems like a good reason for Japan to care about what Russia is doing to another country it shares a border with.

Is the unstated assumption here that Russia is mindlessly belligerent and going to attack any neighbor for any reason?

Re: Japan Breaks with U.S. Allies, Buys Russian Oil at Prices Above Cap

#12
post #8
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> At least one middling positive of the invasion has been a litmus test for the levels of integrity of various countries. Russia annexed Crimea almost a decade ago. If you haven't read the writing on the wall and maneuvered independence you're incompetent or immoral. I can’t really parse this. Why should Japan care about Crimea or Ukraine?

Japan has ongoing territorial disputes with Russia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuril_Islands_dispute It's probably in their best interest not to signal "it's fine to forcibly annex someone else's lands".

Given this specific example is about islands controlled by Russia, but wanted by Japan, it sounds like Crimea is good precedent for Japan?

Re: Japan Breaks with U.S. Allies, Buys Russian Oil at Prices Above Cap

#13
post #4

Money quote: 'It’s not as if Japan can’t manage without this. They can. They simply don’t want to,” said James Brown, a professor at Temple University’s Japan campus. Prof. Brown, who studies Russia-Japan relations, said Japan should move to withdraw from the Sakhalin projects eventually “if they’re really serious about supporting Ukraine.” Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. , two Japanese companies, collectively own…

> At least one middling positive of the invasion has been a litmus test for the levels of integrity of various countries. Russia annexed Crimea almost a decade ago. If you haven't read the writing on the wall and maneuvered independence you're incompetent or immoral. I can’t really parse this. Why should Japan care about Crimea or Ukraine?

Why shouldn't Japan care about Ukraine? If Ukraine can be invaded and the rest of the world does nothing, then why bother having borders or nations or the rule of law? If Ukraine's territory doesn't matter, then why should Japan's territory matter?

Re: Japan Breaks with U.S. Allies, Buys Russian Oil at Prices Above Cap

#14
post #9

In related news; backstory [1]: Australia is the biggest supplier of energy and key minerals to Japan, reflecting Australia’s position as a reliable, safe and competitive producer of raw resources. Australia provides around two-thirds of Japan’s coal, and a third of Japan’s LNG imports. Australia also provides about 60 per cent of Japan’s iron ore imports. and, just the other day [2]: The head of Japan's biggest oil…

Is your unspoken claim that Japan bought Russian gas because Australia just suddenly refused to sell gas anymore?

Re: Japan Breaks with U.S. Allies, Buys Russian Oil at Prices Above Cap

#15
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> At least one middling positive of the invasion has been a litmus test for the levels of integrity of various countries. Russia annexed Crimea almost a decade ago. If you haven't read the writing on the wall and maneuvered independence you're incompetent or immoral. I can’t really parse this. Why should Japan care about Crimea or Ukraine?

Why shouldn't Japan care about Ukraine? If Ukraine can be invaded and the rest of the world does nothing, then why bother having borders or nations or the rule of law? If Ukraine's territory doesn't matter, then why should Japan's territory matter?

When I hear the argument "why should country X care about the war in Y" I imagine those people would be also those neighbors who would let your house burn because hey it's not their yard.

Re: Japan Breaks with U.S. Allies, Buys Russian Oil at Prices Above Cap

#16
post #10
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> At least one middling positive of the invasion has been a litmus test for the levels of integrity of various countries. Russia annexed Crimea almost a decade ago. If you haven't read the writing on the wall and maneuvered independence you're incompetent or immoral. I can’t really parse this. Why should Japan care about Crimea or Ukraine?

When Japan decided to join the UN they decided they want to care about other countries. One aspect of that is joining on the sanctions front as defined and decided by said UN - which is a body where also Japan has a say.

There are no UN sanctions against Russia.

The countries that invaded Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, etc. decided to sanction Russia, but it's their own thing.

Re: Japan Breaks with U.S. Allies, Buys Russian Oil at Prices Above Cap

#18
post #12
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Japan has ongoing territorial disputes with Russia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuril_Islands_dispute It's probably in their best interest not to signal "it's fine to forcibly annex someone else's lands".

Given this specific example is about islands controlled by Russia, but wanted by Japan, it sounds like Crimea is good precedent for Japan?

No? They've expressed zero interest in resolving the disagreement via force, and parts of Ukraine are currently held by Russia in a similar fashion.

Re: Japan Breaks with U.S. Allies, Buys Russian Oil at Prices Above Cap

#19
post #11
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Looking at OSM, the sea borders of Russia and Japan touch. That seems like a good reason for Japan to care about what Russia is doing to another country it shares a border with.

Is the unstated assumption here that Russia is mindlessly belligerent and going to attack any neighbor for any reason?

That seems to be its history, so yes. Although reason seems mostly to expand, you probably meant with any pretext.

Re: Japan Breaks with U.S. Allies, Buys Russian Oil at Prices Above Cap

#20
post #12
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Japan has ongoing territorial disputes with Russia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuril_Islands_dispute It's probably in their best interest not to signal "it's fine to forcibly annex someone else's lands".

Given this specific example is about islands controlled by Russia, but wanted by Japan, it sounds like Crimea is good precedent for Japan?

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