Energy keeps Japan-Russia ties hanging on by a thread

What happened: Seven decades after agreeing to restore diplomatic ties, Russia and Japan now share only a tenuous relationship built largely on shared interest in energy trade. Why it matters: Moscow leverages Tokyo's need for fossil fuels in a bid to boost its war-battered economy, making energy a key foreign policy issue for both leaders.

Seven decades after agreeing to restore diplomatic ties, Russia and Japan now share only a tenuous relationship built largely on shared interest in energy trade.

Moscow leverages Tokyo's need for fossil fuels in a bid to boost its war-battered economy, making energy a key foreign policy issue for both leaders.