The words of Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi about Tokyo’s sovereignty over the southern part of the Kuril Islands are intended for an internal audience. This was announced to Izvestia on Tuesday, January 18, by Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs.
“Part of this is calculated for an internal audience because they keep playing the Northern Territories card to score points with voters. But I do not rule out that, given the current tense international situation, the Japanese decided to play along with the same Americans, exposing Russia as an aggressor, ”said the senator.
The politician asked what kind of negotiations can be discussed if Japan a priori declares that its sovereignty extends to these territories. Dzhabarov stressed that Russia would not discuss the issue of ownership of the Kuriles, while it was ready to talk about signing a peace treaty.
“If the main thing for Japan is to get the “northern territories” that belong to us as a result of the peace treaty, then this is counterproductive and will not lead to anything good,” the politician concluded.
The fact that the southern part of the Kuriles extends the sovereignty of Japan, Hayashi said earlier in the day. At the same time, he stressed that Tokyo hopes, together with Moscow, to achieve progress in resolving the issue of economic activity of the islands.
On December 2, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the problem of a peace treaty with Russia should not be passed on to future generations. The head of the Japanese Cabinet expressed regret that the issue of the southern Kuril Islands has not yet been resolved and a peace treaty with the Russian Federation has not been signed. According to him, this problem is a “struggle with time.”
On November 10, Kishida announced a firm policy towards Russia and China. At the same time, he promised to “strengthen relations with partners who share the point of view of Japan.”
As a result of World War II, Russia and Japan never signed a peace treaty. The main snag in reaching agreements is Tokyo’s claims to the South Kuriles. Japan still calls the islands of Kunashir, Iturup and a number of territories of the Lesser Kuril ridge its northern territories, although as a result of World War II they passed to the USSR.
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