Explained: What Is the Kuril Islands Dispute Between Russia And Japan Since World War II Yet

In a diplomatic Bluebook, Japan described four disputed islands with Russia as illegally occupied areas. The new claim has increased the tension in the relationship between the two countries.

Japan is having a territorial dispute with Russia and South Korea as well. Three of the countries call the name of islands differently. Japan refers to them as Northern territories, Russia calls them the Kuril Islands and South Korea named them as Dokdo islands.

Agencies

It is noteworthy that Japan and Russia have not yet signed a peace treaty to end World War II because of the issue.

What is a diplomatic Bluebook?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan publishes an annual report on the foreign policy and international diplomacy of Japan every year. The first issue was published in September 1957.

What is the dispute?

TASS

The dispute is over the sovereignty of the South Kuril Islands, comprising Etorofu island, Kunashiri island, Shikotan island and Habomai island. Japan and Russia claim their territorial ownership of the land. Presently, as a successor state to the USSR, Russia has occupied the region but Japan continues to stake its claim on the islands.

Why are countries fighting over it?

The Kuril Islands stretch from the Japanese island of Hokkaido to the southern tip of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula separating the Okhotsk Sea from the North Pacific Ocean.

These are part of the Ring of Fire belt and have over 100 volcanoes, of which 35 are said to be active volcanoes along with hot springs. The location of the islands is significant because they have rich fishing grounds and are expected to have offshore reserves of oil and gas.

The islands are significant because of their strategic locations as Russia has deployed its missile systems in the areas and also intends to start a submarine project to prevent American military use in the region.

Japan claims its sovereignty

TASS

Claiming historical rights to the southernmost islands, Japan has been trying to persuade the USSR and, from 1991, Russia to return those islands to them.

During the East Asia Summit in 2018, the Russian President and the Japanese Prime Minister talked about the issue and agreed to negotiate based on the 1956 declaration.

As mentioned above, the declaration states that Japan gave up two islands to maintain peace with Russia.

However, Russia indicated that the declaration does not clarify any country¡¯s sovereignty and also has no mention of the reason to return the Habomai and Shikotan islands. In 2019, the Japanese PM stated that he will not withdraw control over the Islands and the country will not sign peace treaty till the issue is resolved.

Several treaties failed to resolve the dispute

To resolve and maintain peace in the region, several treaties and agreements were signed between Russia and Japan but failed to settle the dispute.

In 1855, the Treaty of Shimoda was signed between Japan and Russia which gave Japan control of the four southernmost islands and the remaining land was given to Russia.

AA.com

After 20 years in 1875, the two signed the Treaty of Saint Petersburg and Russia in exchange for control of Sakhalin Island ceded the ownership of the Kurils islands to Japan. However, Soviet Russia seized the region again at the end of the world war.

The Yalta Agreement was signed in 1945 and formalised in 1951 as a treaty of peace with Japan. Under this agreement, the islands were ceded to Soviet Russia and Japanese people were deported and replaced by the Soviets.

In 1951, the Allies (France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union) and Japan signed the San Francisco Peace Treaty and made Japan give up its rights, title and claim to the Kuril Islands¡±. Also, the treaty does not recognise the sovereignty of the USSR on them.

With the Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration in 1956, the diplomatic relations were restored and improved between the countries and Soviet Russia offered to give away the two islands closest to Japan but was rejected by Japan as these two constituted only 7 percent of the land.

Despite taking many efforts to settle the dispute, the tension remains the same and Japan continues to claim its inheritance rights over the islands.

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