Paper short abstract:

The present research analyses smart cities initiatives in Russia under Japanese assistance. There is joint development of two Russian cities, lead by responsible ministries from Russia and Japan. It unfolds under 8 Point Cooperation Plan defining new streamline in Russo-Japanese relations.

Paper long abstract:

Russo-Japanese relationships remain unclear and affected to a great extent by the issues of contested territories. There is wide amount of scholarly literature highlighting the role of the territorial dispute and its hampering effect on the cooperation of two countries. Scholars see Southern Kuriles / Northern territories as a stumbling-block in Russia-Japan relationship shaping all the possible interactions of two countries. However, there is a new wave of active technical cooperation between two countries during at least the last five years. The cooperation is unfolding under the framework of The Eight Point Cooperation Plan (8PCP) which is dedicated to solving problems in different areas of Russian development, such as public transportation, urban development, housing and communal services, health, etc. It is referred as a will to 'combine Japanese technology with Russian wisdom', but what is this cooperation actually? One of the most prominent directions of the 8PCP is the development of smart cities in Russia under Japanese assistance. Two pilot cities, Voronezh and Vladivostok, were chosen by the working group of Russian Ministry of Construction and Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Therefore, two case studies are analysed in this research to trace the experience of Japanese companies in Russia, analyse how the cooperation between two countries unfolds in specific localities. Case study approach provides deeper understanding of the cooperation covering local level of municipalities and companies as well as inter-ministry cooperation.