The Inquiry

For decades Russia and Japan have been locked in a dispute over the Kuril Islands, which sit between Hokkaido in Northern Japan and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. At the end of World War Two, the island chain was annexed by the Soviet Union, who deported around 17,000 Japanese residents. Japan claims four of the southernmost islands and refers to them as the Northern Territories. Attempts to resolve the dispute have made little progress so far. Then in August of this year, Russia’s President Putin visited the Kuril Islands for the first time since taking office. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi criticised the visit as “absolutely unacceptable”. So, considering the current situation, is a deal on the Kuril Islands ever possible?Contributors: Tessa Morris-Suzuki, professor emerita of Japanese history, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia John Nilsson-Wright, professor of Japanese politics and international relations of East Asia, Cambridge University, UK James DJ Brown, professor of political science, Temple University, Tokyo, Japan Valérie Niquet, senior research fellow and director of the Japan programme, Foundation for Strategic Research, Paris, France(Photo:Kuril islands in Siberia, Russia in July, 1993 Credit: Francois Lochon/Gamma-Rapho)Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producer: Jill Collins Researcher: Evie Yabsley Technical producer: Nicky Edwards Production Co-ordinator: Ellie Dover Production Management Assistant: Tim Fernley Editor: Tom Bigwood

Nepal is still reeling from the devastation caused by recent flash floods. More than a thousand people are reported to have lost their lives and thousands more are still missing. The physical impact is extensive with many hydropower stations, providing the country’s main source of energy, either damaged or destroyed. The floods have also severely impacted Nepal’s other major industries including tourism. The concern now is that the billions of dollars required for Nepal to get back on its feet go way beyond its own resources. And reconstruction will mean elevating those measures required for monitoring and responding to future geological hazards and climate change. But right now, the country’s road to recovery appears long, costly and almost impossible. So just how can Nepal’s economy rebuild after floods?Contributors: Dr Neera Shrestha Pradhan, water and disaster risk reduction lead, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Patan, Nepal Dr Dinesh Paudel, professor of sustainable development, Appalachian State University, North Carolina, USA Dr Santosh Nepal, researcher in water resources and climate change, International Water Management Institute, Lalitpur, Nepal Ritu Bharadwaj, director climate resilience, finance and loss & damage, International Institute for Environment and Development, London, UK(Photo: An aerial view of houses surrounded by mud, rocks and debris following flash floods in Betravati village, Rasuwa, Nepal. Credit: Ritesh Shukla/Stringer/Getty)Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producer: Evie Yabsley and Jill Collins Researcher: Amelia Cox Technical producer: Mitch Goodall Production co-ordinator: Ellie Dover Production management assistant: Liam Morrey Editor: Tom Bigwood

Conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt global shipping routes including the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca. China is now turning to Russia for support in developing an alternative trade path: the Northern Sea Route. On 15 August, China sent its first ship on its newly commercialised, regular shipping route, navigating north around Russia’s coastline. The maritime trade path connects eastern Chinese ports including Ningbo to Europe, offering a quicker way to EU markets which account for 20 per cent of China’s exports. Ships must be specially designed to break ice and open up frozen waters. Global warming could increase access to this path. South Korea among other nations are beginning to discover its potential. Can China’s polar silk road transform global trade? Our panel this week are Dr Marc Lanteigne, professor of political science at the University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway; Nan Hao, researcher in economic security at Helsinki Geo-economics Society, Finland and Geneva Graduate Institute, Switzerland; Prof Dr Katarzyna Zysk, professor of international relations and contemporary history at Norweigan Institute for Defence Studies, Oslo, Norway, and Karen van Loon, research fellow in Security and Defence programme at Clingendael Institute, The Hague, The Netherlands (Photo: The icebreaker Kronprins Haakon sails through sea ice. Credit: Oliver Morin/Getty Images)Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producer: Evie Yabsley Researcher: Amelia Cox Sound engineer: Nathaniel Danter Production co-ordinator: Phoebe Lomas Production management assistant: Liam Morrey Editor: Tom Bigwood