New ties between Russia and Japan would mark not only a breakthrough in their relations but also a significant shift in Northeast Asia's political dynamic.
Russia and China thawed their frosty relationship in the 1990s and signed a friendship treaty in 2001, but China's rise has increased tensions in every regional relationship.
Japan has good reasons for wanting to transform its relationship with Russia. Tokyo has openly expressed serious fears of a military confrontation with Beijing over China's claims to the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.
Indeed, for Russia, inconsistency is an integral part of its foreign policy strategy, particularly under Putin.
Few issues better illustrate the limits of the Obama administration's 'reset' with Russia than the crisis in Syria.
For Putin, Syria is all too reminiscent of Chechnya. Both conflicts pitted the state against disparate and leaderless opposition forces, which over time came to include extremist Sunni Islamist groups.
A desire to contain extremism is a major reason why Putin offered help to the United States in battling the Taliban in Afghanistan after 9/11. It is also why Russia maintains close relations with Shia Iran, which acts as a counterweight to Sunni powers.
Putin's treatment of Chechnya became a cautionary tale of what would happen to rebels and terrorists - and indeed to entire groups of people - if they threatened the Russian state.
