Russia and Japan maintain their relations on a special plane due to theongoing land dispute since World War II. Today, the interrelations of thesetwo neighbors have a meaning beyond the bilateral relationship because of theregional influence capacity they have and the global impact of the KurilIslands problem. This study, in which the subject matter will be evaluatedfrom the perspective of the social construction that the constructive theoryproposes, tries to determine the fundamental factor that directs the relationsof the parties. The Kuril Islands issue, which began in the Second World War, has not yetreached the final solution. For this reason, mutual threat perception, trustproblem and conflict lead to the mutual competition of foreign policies.However, the ways in which the parties perceived each other and their impacton their national roles were analyzed. The study focuses on the emergenceand course of the Kuril Islands issue as the trigger of the competition. It alsoassesses the impact capacity of the Kuril Islands issue on Russian-Japaneserelations. The special position of the US on the issue is also included in thereview.