The history of official relations between Russia and Japan encompasses a period of a little more than one hundred and fifty years, but stretch back unofficially for at least double that amount of time. But for both Russia and Japan, these relations have never been a key element of foreign policy, indispensable or intrinsically important for their diplomatic strategy. It is also noteworthy that for most of this time Russia and Japan were enemies, rivals, competitors. For both parties the significance of bilateral relations to a large extent was determined by their geographical proximity. This geographically predestined relationship can be characterized as “distant neighbors.” At the same time, at certain historical stages, this neighborhood was not so "distant." The countries managed to establish relations in the economic sphere, while tourism, cultural, scientific and educational ties were actively developing. The complexity of the relations which developed for just over three centuries is worthy of study. This book analyzes these three centuries of Japan-Russia relations so as not to miss out any essential factors of the relationship.

Dmitry V. Streltsov is the Head of the Department of Oriental Studies, MGIMO University, and the Leading Research Fellow, the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia, Russian Academy of Sciences. Since 2008, he heads the Russian Association of Japanologists and is Editor-in-Chief of the “Yearbook Japan” and the e-journal “Japanese Studies in Russia.” His main research field is the domestic politics and diplomacy of contemporary Japan. The author of more than 300 academic works.
Togo Kazuhiko (PhD 2009, Leiden University) is Visiting Professor, Global Center for Asian and Regional Research, University of Shizuoka..He joined the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1968. Half of his career was directly related to Russia: three times service at the Embassy of Japan in Moscow; Director of the Soviet Union Division; Director General of Treaties Bureau; and Director General of European Affairs. He retired as Ambassador to the Netherlands in 2002. Following his retirement from the foreign service, he first taught in universities outside of Japan, including Leiden University and Princeton University. He served as Professor and Director of the Institute for World Affairs, Kyoto Sangyo University from 2010 to 2020. His research interests include international politics, Japanese foreign-security policy in East Asia, and identity and civilizational dialogue.

Introduction: Perspectives of Environmental History in Japan (Fujihara Tatsushi)
Part 1: Topology of Environmental History
Chapter 1: Cultural Landscapes in Japan (Uesugi Kazuhiro)
Chapter 2: Japan’s Colonial Environments (John Hayashi)
Chapter 3: National Parks, Nature Conservation, War: The Development of the National Parks System in Japan, 1907-1945 (Nishimura Takahiro)
Part 2: Pollution Incidents/Disasters
Chapter 4: The Ashio Affair: The Emergence of Industrial Pollution as a Social, Political and Environmental Issue in the 19th and 20th Centuries (Cyrian Pitteloud)
Chapter 5: Two Outbreaks of Minamata Disease and the Struggle for Human Rights (Seki Reiko)
Chapter 6: Black Rain, Lawsuits and Compensation: Radiation in the Environment and Human Exposure in Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Nakao Maika)
Chapter 7: Environmental Problems Caused by the Shinkansen in Nagoya City (Aoki Soko)
Part 3: Between Nature and Humans
Chapter 8: The Epidemiological Landscape and Medical Theories: Focusing on a History of Smallpox in Early Modern Japan (Kozai Toyoko)
Chapter 9: Between Nature and Human: The History of the Use of “Night Soil” in Japan (Yuzawa Noriko)
Chapter 10: Agricultural Technology and the Environment in Modern Japan (Fujihara Tatsushi)
Part 4: Seas, Lakes and Shores
Chapter 11: Regional Environmental History: The Lake Biwa Area (Hashimoto Michinori)
Chapter 12: Tokyo Bay in the 20th Century: Life, Production and Environment (Kobori Satoru)
Chapter 13: Tuna Fisheries and Thermonuclear Tests, 1954-1963 (Yuka Moriguchi Tsuchiya)
Part 5: Forestry
Chapter 14: Japanese Swidden Agriculture: Environmental History of Grasslands, Forests and Fire (Komeie Taisaku)
Chapter 15: A History of Tree Planting in Modern Japan: Resource Utilization and Environment Conservation (Takemoto Taro); Chapter 16: Empire Forestry Endures: The Development and Continuity of Japanese Forestry in Southeast Asia, 1930-1970 (Nakashima Koji)