WI Japan buys Sakhalin and Kuril islands during the collapse of the USSR.

The islands have Oil and Gas reserves and these reserves where not discovered at the time, plus the Russians could do with instant capital at the time.
 
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1st, wasn't Japan on the highway to decades-long economic stagnation at the time? 2nd, selling WWII spoils is probably a sure way to sink public support instantly for any Russian leader, let alone Yeltsin.

It might be possible if Russia gets a lot worse economically to resort to selling clay, but it's still a very long shot.
 
1st, wasn't Japan on the highway to decades-long economic stagnation at the time? 2nd, selling WWII spoils is probably a sure way to sink public support instantly for any Russian leader, let alone Yeltsin.

It might be possible if Russia gets a lot worse economically to resort to selling clay, but it's still a very long shot.

During the time of the soviet collapse japan was still booming it was as the 90s dragged that Japan went into recession.
 
Russia already sold parts of its territory once, and lost out on natural resources. I think they'd be cautious on selling land again.
 
The islands have Oil and Gas reserves and these reserves where not discovered at the time, plus the Russians could do with instant capital at the time.

If there's no Oil and Gas discovered why the heck would Japan want it?

Historically, even when Japan possessed half the island prior to WWII, the government notoriously failed at incentivising enough Japanese people to move there.

Why would it be any different in 1991?
 
If there's no Oil and Gas discovered why the heck would Japan want it?

Historically, even when Japan possessed half the island prior to WWII, the government notoriously failed at incentivising enough Japanese people to move there.

Why would it be any different in 1991?

During the time if japanese rule the island was a large provider of coal.
 
During the time if japanese rule the island was a large provider of coal.

During the 90s Japan was firmly in the "Nuclear Energy is the Future" camp and was slowly scaling down coal extraction.

And taking an inhabited island, full of communistic Ruskies that would now be burdens on the state system wouldn't make sense

Plus it's neighbors would be up in arms as its would be a reminder of the pre-war land-grab years.

It's a lose lose lose situation.
 
You almost certainly need some more pronounced collapse of central Russian authority to pull this off - Japan would be taking advantage of a new leader in Moscow hard up for cash to reassert central authority, or some far eastern warlord similarly keen for money to consolidate his position.

Otherwise: Yeltsin refused to sell for a good reason. It would have been seen as weakness, and he wasn't in a dangerous enough position to justify running that risk.
 
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