Contents tagged with Kuril Islands
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Japan protests Russia’s military exercises on the Kuril Islands
The Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, Yoshihide Suga said that a protest was sent to the embassy in Moscow regarding the military exercises on the Kuril Islands, TASS reports. Suga pointed out to that “the increased presence of the Russian army on the four northern islands contradicts Tokyo’s position on this territorial dispute.”
Japan believes that it’s necessary to solve the territorial problem at its roots. It is determined to conduct “persistent negotiations.” The Sankei Shimbun newspaper …
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Kremlin: Russia and Japan intend to continue work to conclude peace treaty
Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, said during a broadcast of Russia 1 TV channel that the negotiations between Moscow and Tokyo on the peace treaty will continue, RIA Novosti reports.
Peskov stressed that neither side has refused to continue negotiations to reach a consensus. He explained that each side has their own “limits” and nuances in their approaches. “But, strategically, Abe and Putin confirmed their intention to work on the conclusion of a peace treaty,” he …
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Japan tells Russia: dispute over Kuril Islands must be settled before any peace treaties are discussed
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposed peace treaty with Japan would be impossible without settling the territorial dispute, said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during the pre-election debates.
The Prime Minister recalled that Tokyo’s position regarding the status of the South Kurils, what he called the “northern territories,” remains unchanged and he personally stated this during the meeting with Putin. “I expressed our position to Russian President Vladimir Putin. First, we should …
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Japan rejects Putin’s peace treaty proposal
Japan has rejected the proposition of Vladimir Putin to sign a peace treaty without preliminary conditions.
Putin made the proposition on Wednesday at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
Tokyo’s position remains unchanged: the document cannot be signed until the territorial dispute between Russia and Japan is settled.
“We will persistently continue to hold negotiations on the basis of the previous course: first deal with the problems, with the return of the ‘northern territories’, and …
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Japan accuses Russia and China of escalating military activity in the region
At a meeting with the leadership of Japan's self-defense forces, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said that Russia and China pose a threat to the national security of the country by increasing military activity in the region.
"We are witnessing actions that mean the escalation of military activity in the Eastern Pacific," said Onodera.
As a confirmation of his words, the Minister referred to the most extensive Russian military exercises since the cold war Vostok-2018. He also …
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Russia concerned over Japanese bill on Kuril Islands
Russian lawmakers are trying to negotiate with Japan to prevent a series of legislative actions, which would disrupt an easing of relations, reported the chair of the Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev, according to RIA Novosti.
“We will definitely be continuing to discuss this matter, so that if possible certain legislative measures will not be allowed to pass, measures which would disrupt both countries’ efforts to move forward on the resolution of certain …
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Japan expresses regret over Russian missile exercises in the Kurils
The Japanese government has expressed regret over Russia's missile exercises on the South Kuril island of Iturup, reported the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri.
After Russia notified Japan of the missile tests, Japan sent a corresponding statement expressing its regret through the Japanese Embassy in Moscow to the Russian authorities. Russia quickly dismissed Japan’s allegations. Japanese authorities also warned shipping companies and fishermen about the Russian exercises in the area.
On June 11, …
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Japanese expert: Ukrainians represent majority of population on the Kuril Islands
Approximately 60% of the population of the Kuril Islands are Ukrainians whom the Soviet government forcibly moved to the archipelago after the occupation of the Japanese territory in 1945. Yoshihiko Okabe, a professor at Kobe Gakuin University in Japan and foreign expert at the Ukrainian Center for Russian Studies, made this statement at the international conference "Russia's Violation of International Law: Implications for Peace".
"Although it is little known, it is said that in fact around 60 …
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Japanese Prime Minister hopes to sign peace treaty with Russia during current generation’s lifetime
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expects to resolve the issue of concluding a peace treaty with Russia within the current generation’s lifetime. RIA Novosti reports that Abe said this after talks with Vladimir Putin.
"The issue of a peace treaty, which was not signed for over 70 years, is not easy to resolve; however, we want to put an end to this problem in our generation. This is our key goal," Abe said.
Putin offered to patiently seek a solution that meets the interests of Russia and …
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Japan protests against Russian air drills in Kuril Islands
Japan has filed a protest with Russia concerning Russian air drills over the island of Iturup, Japanese Foreign Minister Tarō Kōno said in response to questions from MPs of the Lower House.
On Monday, two Russian Su-35 fighters executed a drill to relocate from Khabarovsk Krai to the Burevestnik reserve military airbase on Iturup Island, covering a distance of over 2,000 kilometers. The exercise was done in order to improve their flight training and their experience in defending Russia’s air …