It has been 24 days and a month since Russia's military invasion of Ukraine.
Former islanders in the Northern Territories, whose islands were occupied by the former Soviet army and displaced from their hometowns, are watching the situation in combination with their own experiences.
Hideo Fukuzawa (81), who lives in Shibetsu Town in eastern Hokkaido, is from Habomai Islands.
His parents used to fish kelp on the island, but in 1945, shortly after the former Soviet troops landed on the island, the entire family escaped by boat.
At that time, Mr. Fukuzawa, who was five years old, was said to have been hit by a soldier at the muzzle.
He watches the daily news, superimposing the Ukrainians who have been displaced from his home on his own experience when he fled the island from his life.
Mr. Fukuzawa says, "The appearance of a small child crying with tears and tears, saying,'I don't want to die,' I have to overlap with myself when I was 5 years old.
On the other hand, Mr. Fukuzawa has also valued interaction with Russians on the island.
He has participated in visa-free exchange projects 16 times so far, visiting all the islands of the Northern Territories, and even staying with Russians from the islands at homestays. ..
For that reason, I am disappointed with the one-sided notification of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to suspend "visa-free exchanges".
I also feel that the distance between Russia and Russia, which has been shortened by grassroots exchanges, will widen again.
Mr. Fukuzawa said, "I hated Russians at first, but as I continued to interact with them, I became able to understand their personalities and ways of thinking. However, if the situation changes, I would like to continue the same relationship again. "