Russia drops peace talks with Japan over Kuril Islands, Tokyo 'protests'
Japan and Russia are officially still at war over the Kuril Islands dispute (pictured).
AP - Yoshiaki Sakamoto
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Japan "
firmly
" protested on Tuesday March 22 against Russia's decision to abandon negotiations for a peace treaty between the two countries because, according to Moscow, of Tokyo's "
unfriendly position
" on the conflict in Ukraine.
The two countries never signed a peace treaty at the end of the Second World War because of the dispute over the Kuril Islands: annexed by the Soviet Union in 1945, they were never returned to Japan, which considers as an "
integral part
" of its territory.
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“
This situation is
(in fact)
the result of Russian aggression in Ukraine
,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told parliament in Tokyo.
“
The (Russian) attempt to shift this issue to Japan-Russia relations is extremely unjustified and absolutely unacceptable
,” he added.
Japan “
strongly protests
”, launched the Japanese leader, once again condemning Russia for its actions in Ukraine which “
change the status quo by force, unilaterally
”.
Japan has joined Western countries in recent weeks
in imposing heavy economic sanctions on Moscow for its offensive in Ukraine launched on February 24.
Moscow and Tokyo still officially at war
Japan and Russia have had a complex relationship for decades.
The two countries did not sign a peace treaty after World War II
due to a dispute over four small islands in the Kuril Archipelago
, located in Japan's far north.
Russia abruptly announced on Monday March 21 that it was abandoning
peace negotiations with Japan
, judging "
impossible to discuss (...) with a State which occupies an openly unfriendly position and seeks to harm the interests
" of Moscow.
The country also announced that it would end a visa exemption allowing Japanese people to travel to the disputed islands and withdraw from negotiations on joint economic activity between the two countries there.
The volcanic islands in question
, located between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean, are called “
South Kuril Islands
” by Russia and “
Northern Territories
” by Japan.
They were taken by the Soviet army in 1945 and have never been returned to Tokyo since.
Tokyo considers these four islands, with a population of 20,000, as "
an integral part of the territory of Japan
".
(with AFP)
►
To read also:
The Kuril Islands, the impossible agreement between Moscow and Tokyo
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Japan
Russia
Second World War
Diplomacy
Disputed territories