Japanese Prime Minister Abe promises Putin not to deploy US base on the Kuril Islands
During his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Shinzo Abe, the head of the Japanese government, promised Putin not to deploy US military bases in the south of the Kuril Islands if Moscow agrees to hand over these territories to Tokyo, reported Asahi Shimbun with reference to high-level government sources.
As reported in the newspaper, Abe's statement confirmed his determination to continue negotiations on the disputed territories.
According to the newspaper, the actions of the Japanese prime minister are aimed at showing that the security treaty with the United States does not imply the deployment of military bases in any region of Japan without the consent of the government.
Putin and Abe met on November 14 in Singapore, where the Summit of the States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was held. During their meeting, Putin and Abe agreed to step up negotiations on a peace treaty based on the declaration of 1956.
The Soviet-Japanese Declaration of 1956 marked the end of the war between the USSR and Japan. The two countries had been at war since August 1945. According to the ninth clause of the treaty, the Soviet Union and Japan agreed to continue negotiations on the conclusion of a peace treaty. At the same time, the USSR agreed to hand over the islands of Habomai and Shikotan to Japan after the conclusion of the treaty.
Nevertheless, Japan concluded an agreement with the United States, according to which the Japanese authorities allowed the United States to use military bases on the territory of Japan during the coming ten years. The government of the USSR declared that the treaty was against the USSR and China and refused to consider the issue of the disputed territories.