"Illegally occupied": Japan has made Russia's claims against Kuril Islands

According to the Japanese diplomatic agency, Moscow continues to keep those territories under its control, sovereignty over which Tokyo has. At the same time, he was readiness to negotiate with the Kremlin. Russia continues to illegally hold the islands over which in Japan there is sovereignty. This is stated in the published annual report on the diplomacy of the Japanese foreign policy called "Blue Book". It is about Kuril Islands.

Tokyo is convinced that their southern part is Japanese territory and Moscow has to regain control of them. The issue has not been resolved for 78 years. "The northern territories are the islands over which Japan has sovereignty, and they are the original territory of Japan, but now they are illegally occupied by Russia," the message reads. At the same time, Tokyo writes that they intend to resolve the issue through the conclusion of a peace treaty with the Kremlin.

The Foreign Ministry called this question priority in Japan and Russia's relations. In March 2022, due to the beginning of the war against Ukraine, all negotiations on the settlement of the conflict were terminated, with which Tokyo had disagreed. "The government of Japan, feeling a strong desire at least to respond to the sincere feelings of the elderly former inhabitants of the islands, will continue to urge the Russian side to restore these projects.

We are also protesting against Russia's steps to strengthen our armed forces in four northern islands, including military training. The grounds that they contradict Japan's position on these islands are unacceptable, "the Foreign Ministry summed up. We will remind, on March 22, 2022 it was reported that Japan protested the Russian Federation due to the termination of negotiations on a peace treaty. As a result of the war in Ukraine, sanctions against Moscow were imposed in Tokyo.