Japan: similar to invasion of Ukraine, Russian occupation of Southern Kuril islands is illegal
Russia has occupied the southern part of the Kuril Islands, which contradicts international law, similar to the attack on Ukraine, said the Deputy Director-General of the European Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Hideki Uyama during during a debate in the Japanese Parliament.
"The Northern Territories (the southern part of the Kuril Islands) are occupied, and we believe that this contradicts the international law, same as the current attack of the Russian army on Ukraine," the Japanese official said.
The Japanese authorities in recent years have refrained from the term "occupation", describing the situation around the southern Kuril Islands, and limited themselves to the statement that "Japanese sovereignty extends to these islands." On the official website of the 2020 Olympics, held in Tokyo, the South Kuril Islands were designated as the territory of Japan.
All the islands of the Southern Kurils are part of the Sakhalin Oblast of Russia, and all except Urup are disputed by Japan.