The Russian Foreign Ministry considers references to the South Kuril Islands in the Japanese "Blue Book on Diplomacy" "insignificant", the islands are an integral part of Russia following the Second World War. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the position of the Japanese leadership regarding the islands that make up the southern part of the Kuril islands will not change in the future.
Earlier, Japan's 2023 Blue Book onplomacy used the wording about the "illegal occupation of the northern territories" (Kuril Islands)