1 of 5 | Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged to reach a deal with Russia to return disputed territories taken over by the late Soviet Union after World War II. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he is determined to negotiate a peace deal with Russia over the so-called Northern Territory islands on Wednesday despite “difficult” relations with the country because of the Ukraine War.
Kishida addressed an annual rally in Tokyo over the four disputed islands that were taken by the former Soviet Union at the end of World War II. Advertisement
“Regrettably, the issue of the Northern Territories has not been resolved and a peace treaty has not been concluded,” Kishida said. “Resuming the exchange activities is one of the top priorities in the Japan-Russia relationship.”
He further alluded to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and Japan’s siding with the United States and its Western allies, which has frayed relations between the two countries.
“Although Japan-Russia relations are in a difficult situation, we will stick to our policy of resolving the territorial issue and concluding a peace treaty,” Kishida said.
The Northern Territories, known in Russia as the Southern Kurils, have been a source of increased tension since Russia ended visa-free visits by Japanese residents who have family graves on the islands — Etonrofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group. Advertisement
The Northern Territories’ annual rally happens on Feb. 7, the anniversary of the 1855 peace treaty between the two countries that set the four islands within Japan’s boundary lines. Japan said the Soviet Union/Russia’s World War II annexation was illegal. Russia has equally claimed that its claim to the islands was legitimate.
Each year the rally’s participants, which include government officials, civic groups and former residents of the island agree on a statement labeling Russia’s claim on the island “illegal occupation.”
On Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the government had protested Russia’s move to list a group seeking the islands be relinquished to Japan as an undesirable organization, banning them from operating on Russian territory.
“This matter should not have a negative impact on the activities of people involved in the movement to demand the return of the Northern Territories,” Hayashi said..
