Russia has recently strengthened its diplomatic relations with its North-east Asian neighbours - China, Japan, and North and South Korea. But without much more reform at home, Russia will be neither attractive as a partner nor live up to its full potential. The author shows how SinoRussian detente has effectively stalled, although Russian arms sales to Beijing are of growing concern to the West. He asserts that Russia remains excluded from the great-power politics surrounding the Korean Peninsula, and that, while Russo-Japanese relations are improving, they remain bedevilled by Russia’s domestic problems. Chikahito Harada assesses the reasons for Russia’s policy towards North-east Asia and offers key policy recommendations.