Аңдатпа
While Tokyo and Moscow have historically experienced periods of cautious engagement and significant tension, the war in Ukraine led to the abandonment of earlier efforts at rapprochement and intensified mutual mistrust. In this context, the Handbook of Japan-Russia relations is a valuable contribution that provides a comprehensive overview of the complex trajectory of ‘three centuries of Japan-Russia relations’ (p. xxiii), The book is structured into six parts comprising a total of 20 chapters, which offer a holistic understanding of the shifting contours of Russian–Japanese relations across time and issue areas. Particularly commendable is the commitment to giving equal weight to Russian and Japanese perspectives on the same issues. This approach offers a rare insight into how each side interprets critical moments in their shared history. In the first chapter, Alexander N. Panov traces the cyclical patterns of conflict and cooperation that have defined Japan–Russia relations from the earliest contacts in the late 17th century to the present. Interestingly, Panov briefly touched on Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–5), acknowledging that it left ‘a painfully negative, lasting and tragic trace’ and that it ‘strengthened the negative image of Japan’ (pp. 7–8). A more extensive examination of the war's impact on Russia's self-image, imperial identity and perception of Japan could have enhanced the chapter's depth. To an important extent, the Russian defeat damaged Tsar Nicholas II's authority, fuelled domestic unrest, contributed to the Russian Revolution and fundamentally altered Russia's image of Japan, from a peripheral actor to one of strategic importance.