On Sunday, February 7, ultra-right organizations held street actions in Tokyo to mark the Northern Territories Day.

So in Japan they call several Russian islands of the Kuril ridge: Shikotan, Iturup, Kunashir and the Habomai archipelago.

Demonstrators staged a rally near the Russian embassy.

As reported by RIA Novosti, they drove around the quarter in which the diplomatic mission is located in minibuses, shouting slogans into the loudspeakers and broadcasting marches.

However, the protesters could not get close to the diplomatic mission - reinforced police squads were posted a few blocks from the embassy.

Law enforcers blocked the passage when buses with nationalists approached, in order to prevent them from driving along the road closest to the embassy.

It is noted that no demonstrations or pickets were seen in the immediate vicinity of the embassy.

The Northern Territories Day has been celebrated in Japan for the last 40 years - the date is timed to coincide with the anniversary of the signing of the Shimoda Treaty with Russia in 1855.

Under the terms of the document, the listed islands of the Kuril ridge retreated to the Japanese side in exchange for signing a trade agreement.

However, over the next century, the state border in the region of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin changed three more times.

The modern borders of the countries were determined by the results of World War II, but Tokyo made it a condition of concluding a peace treaty with Moscow, which was never signed, the transfer of the group of the Kuril Islands to it.

Russia, on the other hand, denies any claims of the Japanese side to the southern Kuriles, since the sovereignty over them has international legal registration.

Since 1981, every year on February 7, a national congress has been held in Japan, dedicated to the theme of the "return" of the islands in Russian possession.

The event is traditionally attended by the country's Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, as well as other members of the government.

This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the event was held online.

Moreover, the congress participants expressed "extreme regret" that the islands "have continued to be seized without legal grounds for 75 years."

  • Online rally in honor of the Northern Territories Day

  • © www.hoppou.go.jp/YouTube

Results of World War II

Speaking at the congress, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that the unresolved problem of the "northern territories" and the absence of a peace treaty with Russia "are regrettable."

“Of course, my cabinet inherited the results of the 2018 Singapore Summit talks.

Based on the agreements reached between the countries, we will consistently continue the negotiation process, ”the politician promised.

The head of government added that in order to achieve progress in the negotiations, it is important "for everyone in Japan to develop an interest and deepen understanding of this issue (return of the islands. -

RT

), so that the government and citizens can act together."

Recall that following the talks in November 2018 on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Singapore, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the head of the Japanese government (then held by Shinzo Abe) agreed to intensify dialogue on a peace treaty based on the 1956 Japanese-Soviet declaration.

  • Yoshihide Suga

  • © David Mareuil / Pool via REUTERS

In turn, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said that Tokyo would conduct a dialogue with Moscow on the basis of a position that is basic for the Japanese side.

It is about solving the "territorial problem".

“It is necessary to resolve the territorial problem as soon as possible and conclude a peace treaty with Russia,” RIA Novosti quotes the minister as saying.

Recall that on February 2, 1946, following the results of the Soviet-Japanese war of 1945, which became the final stage of World War II, the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin officially became part of the USSR.

The agreement, which referred to the conditions for the entry of the Soviet Union into the war against Japan, was signed by the allies in the anti-fascist coalition at the Yalta Conference in February 1945.

According to the document, Moscow agreed to engage in hostilities subject to the return of the southern part of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

The disarmament of the Japanese military by the Red Army was practically completed by the end of August 1945.

Japan accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender.

The Soviet Union received the southern half of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

At the same time, the peace treaty between Japan and the USSR was not signed then.

In 1951, Tokyo signed the San Francisco Peace Treaty, securing the loss of the Japanese side of rights to the Kuril Islands and parts of Sakhalin Island.

However, the Soviet Union decided not to sign this document, since it did not spell out the issue of the withdrawal of foreign troops from Japan.

In addition, it was not explained in whose favor Tokyo was abandoning the island territories.

In 1956, Tokyo and Moscow agreed on a declaration that provided for the further development of relations between the countries and the signing of a peace treaty.

However, no serious progress was made in concluding a peace treaty after that.

The parties returned to this topic again after the collapse of the USSR.

However, Moscow and Tokyo have failed to reach a consensus so far.

The Japanese side insists on its right to the islands of the Kuril ridge, relying on the terms of the Shimoda Treaty of 1855.

The Russian side points out that the document has long since lost its force.

  • Japanese soldiers lay down their arms in front of Soviet officers

  • AFP

At the same time, Tokyo accuses Moscow of violating the Neutrality Pact, which was in effect between the countries when the USSR "unleashed a war with Japan."

“The northern territories are originally Japanese territory, which continues to be illegally occupied by Russia.

The US government also consistently supports Japan's position, ”the country's foreign ministry website says.

However, experts point out the inconsistency of Tokyo's demands.

As Dmitry Streltsov, head of the Department of Oriental Studies at MGIMO, explained in an interview with RT, formally, the USSR did indeed violate the Pact of Neutrality with Japan, but entry into the war with Japan was dictated by allied obligations.

“According to international standards, actions against enemy states take precedence over any other commitments made.

At that time, it was important to end World War II, and this decision was legally more weighty than the current Neutrality Pact with Japan, ”the expert explained.

Secondary question

In light of the existing contradictions, analysts doubt that the parties will be able to get closer on the territorial issue in the foreseeable future.

For example, Valery Kistanov, head of the Center for Japanese Studies at the Institute for the Far East of the Russian Academy of Sciences, stated that negotiations on a peace treaty had actually stalled due to the territorial issue.

“The traditional position of Tokyo is that Russia is“ holding ”the islands.

And the fact that this topic was raised at today's congress is important.

The point is that such formulations were omitted at the last two congresses.

Then the parties tried to speed up negotiations on a peace treaty based on the Soviet-Japanese declaration of 1956, which postulates that the USSR will meet the wishes of the Japanese side after the signing of the peace treaty, ”the interlocutor of RT explained.

  • Kunashir Island

  • © REUTERS / Yuri Maltsev

According to Kistanov, during the active Russian-Japanese negotiations under Prime Minister Abe, official Tokyo avoided harsh language.

“But now the situation has changed, Prime Minister Suga toughened up the Japanese position, raising the issue of all the islands of the Kuril ridge.

Russia is also firmly committed to the fact that it legally owns the islands following the results of World War II, ”the expert noted.

Recall that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Japan defends Japan's right to return the "northern territories".

Shinzo Abe, who has held the post of party leader since 2012, as well as the post of Prime Minister of the country, regularly raised this issue.

The politician also actively participated in negotiations with the Russian side on the subject of signing a peace treaty between the countries.

In August 2020, he left the post of prime minister for health reasons.

In his speech on the resignation, the politician touched upon the topic of a peace treaty with Russia.

Shinzo Abe expressed regret that he did not have time to sign this document.

He added that under the new Cabinet of Ministers, work in this direction will continue.

Yoshihide Suga became the new leader of the ruling party and the prime minister of Japan.

The politician immediately announced that he intends to conduct a dialogue with Russia on the issue of the ownership of the Kuril Islands.

However, experts are not inclined to exaggerate the importance that the Japanese authorities are ready to attach to the issue of the “northern territories”.

“In fact, the Liberal Democratic Party takes a rather restrained position.

Moreover, at one time Shinzo Abe even softened the traditional approach of Tokyo, recognizing the Japanese-Soviet declaration of 1956 as the basis for negotiations, ”said Dmitry Streltsov.

  • © REUTERS / Issei Kato

According to the expert, although the topic of the Kuril Islands appears in the Japanese media, the population does not attach much importance to it.

“The street action that took place today at the Russian embassy is not something special, these are traditional performances on February 7th.

In Japan, not even everyone knows about this problem, and the overwhelming majority of Japanese simply support the government's position.

Everyone has long been accustomed to the situation that developed 75 years ago, ”said Streltsov.

“Leading Japanese media outlets write little about the Kuril Islands, with the exception of a couple of newspapers.

Now the Japanese are facing many more important problems, so the society has no time for territorial issues.

And the ruling party is not particularly inflating this topic.

In fact, this is a secondary issue for Japan, ”concluded Valery Kistanov.