Japan Insists On return Of Kuril Islands (from Russia)

[Dover]

Japan insists on return of Kuril Islands

September 3, 2003
RBC

The absence of a peace treaty between Russia and Japan impedes the development of bilateral relations, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said at a press conference in Kiev after talks with her Ukrainian counterpart Anatoly Zlenko on Tuesday.

Ms. Kawaguchi said that the signing of a peace treaty with Russia would only become possible after Russia returned the disputed islands to Japan. The Japanese Foreign Minister stressed that Japan considered the four islands part of its historic territory.

“The return of the islands will allow Japan to sign a peace treaty with Russia, and relations between the two countries will reach a new level,” she said.

Japan claims possession of the four islands of Kunashiri, Etorofu, Shikotan and Habomai, which were seized by the Soviet Army at the end of the Second World War....>>

http://www.rusnet.nl/news/2003/09/03/politics02.shtml

[saigon68]

1. 2 CHANCES OF THIS HAPPENING

SLIM AND NONE

and Slim just left the building !!!!

[Art_from_Ark]

2. This is nothing new

and I have made that point repeatedly on these boards. These islands have been a bone of contention between Russia and Japan since 1945 (but they were not before that). In all likelihood, they were meant to be a thorn in the side of Japanese-Russian relations, as indicated by the agreements reached at the Yalta and Potsdam conferences. The Soviet army actually seized these islands after Japan had surrendered.

By the way, the only Kuril islands in the disputed group are Kunashiri and Etorofu. Shikotan is not part of any group, and Habomai is actually a very tiny archipelago of isles that are little more than rocks sticking up from the sea. However, they are reputed to be excellent fishing grounds, while from a Russian perspective they have military significance.

[chenGOD]

7. Actually, the islands had been a thorn

for many years prior to 1945.

http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/russia/territory/edition92/period1.html

and I remember reading in some history book about this as well.

[Art_from_Ark]

9. Not the islands that are being discussed here

There had never been a dispute about their ownership since at least 1855, when Russia, in the Treaty of Shimoda, recognized Japan's full sovereignty over today's disputed islands. What had been disputed since then were Sakhalin (or Karafuto in Japanese), and the Kurils north of Etorofu. However, Japan gained possession of 18 (of the 54) Kurils peacefully in 1875 under provision of the Treaty of St. Petersburg, and acquired the remaining ones as a result of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05.

[drewb]

3. I think they should get them back.

Japan is an Island, they are Islands... What's the question?

[Art_from_Ark]

4. The problem, unfortunately, is that, as I mentioned above

the islands have military significance for Russia (ice-free access to the Pacific Ocean, for example). What's more, the Soviets "repatriated" or imprisoned all the Japanese who were living on the islands at the time of their seizure, and replaced them with Russian settlers, who in all likelihood would have to be repatriated themselves if the islands were returned to their rightful owners. Such a move is highly unpopular in Russia.

[kalazh]

5. You guys are wrong the problem is

that the price offered by Japan is not right yet. I think the last number Japan floated around was about 107 billion which is not yet enough but close to cover Russia's current external debt. But I have my strong reservations that even if Japan pays some cash it will ever go to benefit Russia. I don't think in a totally corrupt society such as Russia today any deals including international ones would have any validity for future generations. The best example is the USSR-USA deal on Bering Straight demarcation. Russian government don't even want to ratify the deal 15 years later after it was signed.
Besides that, on those islands there are different options floating around including 2/2, joint rule, 50 years under UN then to Japan. Interesting fact-in recent polls 70% of so called russian settlers who are mostly military or ex-military said that they would have no problem being Japanese residents.

[Sick of Bullshit]

6. I wouldn't doubt that the Russian residents living on the islands

would rather be Japanese residents. After all, they'd be going from third world to first world status. The question is, how would the Russians on the mainland handle this? Would it be like the US handing Okinawa back to the Japanese (no one seemed to give a rat's ass about it at the time, or maybe I feel that way because I was still a naive pre-teen then), or would it be like the US signing the Canal Zone back to Panama (right-wingers went ballistic).

Personally, I feel that if it were just a question of money, this matter could have been resolved a LONG time ago.

[Art_from_Ark]

8. I have been interested in this matter

since around 1981, when I found an obscure paper on the "Northern Territories problem" tucked away in the bowels of a university library that had been written by a former mid-level State Department official in 1950. Later, when Russia was still the USSR, I took a trip up to the Nemuro Peninsula and Cape Nosappu (the closest point on the Japanese mainland to the islands) to collect information for a research paper. Although it was a foggy and I couldn't get a good look, the locals told me that the closest Habomai island was practically a stone's throw from the point where I was standing. The island was home to a Soviet monitoring base, and there was also, apparently, a submarine base there or on a neighboring island. Unlike the Sea of Ohoktsk, which is plagued with ice floes in winter, this area was mostly passable year-round.

Anyway, the Soviets were constantly hassling Japanese fishing ships and other sea vessels that were trying to make the trip between the Shiretoko Peninsula and Abashiri on one side, and Nemuro and Kushiro on the other. The Soviets claimed half the distance to the Japanese mainland as their territorial waters, which made navigating the narrow, shallow, fog-plagued straits even more difficult. This is one reason why the Japanese wanted the islands back so badly-- and one reason why the Soviets refused to give them back.

Fast forward to a few years ago, and the Japanese were making financial overtures to the Russians (no longer Soviets) in the form of cash payments and low-interest development loans in return for these islands-- coming at a time when the ruble was in a tailspin (essentially becoming fancy toilet paper) and the yen was the strongest currency in the world. And yet, the Russians turned down the offer, citing, according to the Japan Times, problems that they would have with the Russian public and that pesky matter of national pride (coming, as it were, on the heels of the break-up of the country).

I don't know what poll you are citing about the local (Russian) residents' opinions regarding the return of the islands, but for all I know it may be true, since most of the residents (according to Japanese TV documentaries) seem to be living in utter squalor and would probably welcome the chance to try living under Japanese administration (providing, of course, that they would be allowed to stay).