Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has expressed regret over a lack of a peace treaty with Russia and the ongoing territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands.
“The situation when, despite the fact that 75 years have passed since the end of World War II, the problem of the Northern Territories has not been resolved, and a peace treaty has not been concluded between Japan and Russia, is very regrettable. In September of last year, shortly after I became prime minister, we had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and agreed to continue the dialogue, including on the conclusion of a peace treaty,” Suga said on Sunday.
The prime minister was speaking at the annual national convention for the return of the so-called “Northern Territories,” an event held every year in Japan on February 7. This year, there are no guests attending the convention because of COVID-19, organizers told Sputnik.
Suga said that the fact that the convention is still being held despite the pandemic “has a deep meaning.” The prime minister added that he discussed the resumption of visa-free exchanges, halted amid the pandemic, during his September phone call with Putin.
Japan claims the Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai islands in Russia’s Kuril Island chain, which they refer to as the “Northern Territories” (Russia refers to them as the Southern Kurils). Russia insists that its sovereignty over the islands, which became part of the USSR after World War II, is undisputed.
In January, Suga said that Japan was going to make efforts to strengthen bilateral relations with Russia, including by ending the territorial dispute and signing a peace treaty.
