Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Tokyo still expects to conclude a peace treaty with Moscow and hopes for a speedy resumption of humanitarian exchanges.
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“As for the issue of the ‘northern territories’, our diplomatic position, according to which we are aimed at concluding a peace treaty with Russia after resolving the issue of territories, has not changed,” he said.
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The Minister stressed that Japan also hopes for the earliest possible resumption of the project of visiting graves by former Japanese residents of the South Kuriles. According to him, this is one of the highest priorities for the government.
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“At the same time, regarding issues, in particular, economic activities, such as fishing or the safety of navigation, that is, regarding issues that Japan and Russia should solve as neighboring countries, we will proceed from Japan’s national interests in our actions,” he added. head of the Foreign Ministry.
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Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also stated his position on this issue.
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“The fact that 77 years after the end of the war the issue of the ‘northern territories’ has not been resolved and there is no peace treaty between Japan and Russia is extremely regrettable. The Japanese government is committed to resolving the territorial issue and concluding a peace treaty,” said he speaking at the annual rally.
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The Prime Minister also noted that now relations between Tokyo and Moscow are going through “hard times” because of the conflict in Ukraine.
On February 7, Japan celebrates the Day of the “Northern Territories” (this is how the southern islands of the Kuril chain, now owned by Russia, are called here). In 1855, on this day, the Shimodsky Treaty was signed, according to which Kunashir, Shikotan, Iturup and Habomai departed Japan. Japan claims these islands, despite the fact that they became the territory of the USSR following World War II, and links the signing of a peace treaty with the settlement of this dispute.
Moscow’s position is that the South Kuriles became part of the USSR following the war, and Russian sovereignty over them is beyond doubt.
