Negotiations on disputed islands between Japan and Russia have become severe, and the two sides plan to advance peace treaty negotiations

　　China News Service, September 30. According to Kyodo News, a relevant person in the Japanese government disclosed that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga held the first telephone meeting with Russian President Putin on the evening of the 29th to advance a peace treaty based on the 1956 Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration. Conclusion of negotiations to reach an agreement.

The data picture shows Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

　　According to the report, the talks reaffirmed the consensus reached by then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Putin in November 2018, showing that they will inherit the route of the Abe government and use the four northern islands (Japanese-Russian disputed islands, Russian called the Southern Kuril Islands), the Tomamai Islands and Sedan Island’s attitude of "handing over the two islands" as the core for negotiations.

The two heads of state also agreed to hold talks directly in the near future and exchange views frankly on bilateral relations.

Data map: Russian President Putin.

　　Yoshihide Suga said during the talks: "I hope that Japan-Russia relations can develop as a whole. If the Northern Territory issue is not passed on to the next generation, this will end."

　　Putin said: "Dialogues will be initiated on all bilateral issues." Regarding the currently suspended visa-free visits to the four northern islands, he also said that he "intends to restart after the new crown epidemic subsides."

　　It is said that former Prime Minister Abe changed the basic principle of returning the four islands in a package to "return the two islands first" or "transfer the two islands" in an effort to open up the situation for territorial negotiations, but he stepped down before yielding results.

Russia's constitutional amendment to the "Prohibition of Concession of Territory" came into effect in July, and the situation of Japan's negotiations with Russia has become more severe.

　　The Russian army announced on the 29th that military exercises that are assumed to be attacked by enemy landing forces have been launched on the four northern islands of Kunashir Island and Zehud Island.

Conducting the exercise on the eve of the telephone meeting was considered to contain Japan, but the meeting did not take this as a topic.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu revealed at the press conference that on the 24th that Russia notified the matter in advance, it had already protested through diplomatic channels.