Abstract: This article analyzes the establishment of mutually beneficial model of the dialogue between Russia and Japan in the context of implementation of new negotiation tactics on the bilateral level in the late XX century. Particular attention is given namely to the tactics that are considered as the basis for the formation of partnership between the countries since the end of the 1980s. Intensification of the dialogue between Russia and Japan in the 1990s contributed to alignment of the parties in seeking the grounds for the development of mutually advantageous relations. The application of the instruments of face-to-face negotiations and informal meetings can be viewed as an indicator of alignment of the parties, a desire to propel the bilateral cooperation to a fundamentally new level, which is proven by the provisions of the “Moscow Declaration on the establishment of a constructive partnership between the Russian Federation and Japan” of 1998, which has become the framework for collaborative actions in the new century. The article discusses the most common tactics and methods applied in the negotiations between Russia and Japan, although its it not an exhaustive list of all possible techniques. The scientific novelty consists in systematization and description of the tactics of Japan’s diplomacy that were practically implemented in Russian in the 1990s and remain relevant to the present day. Personal contribution of the politicians and diplomats into creation of the foundation for multidimensional cooperation between Russia and Japan was of crucial importance. Analysis is conducted on the activity of Japanese diplomats Tamba Minoru, Edamura Sumio, Togo Kazuhiko, as well as politicians Nakayama Taro, Hashimoto Ryutaro, Obuchi Keizo, and Mori Yoshiro, who played the role of the political architects in Tokyo with regards to Russia. The works published by them are a valuable source for the analysis of the events under review.