Russia conducts military drills on disputed Japan-claimed Kuril islands

In what is being speculated a dire warning to Japan, Russia on Friday announced that it is conducting military drills on the Kuril Islands just days after it withdrew from the WWII peace treaty negotiations in response to Tokyo’s stance on the Ukrainian war. Moscow lays sovereign claims on the Southern Kurils known to Japan as ‘Northern Territories’ and the two nations have been disputing over the chain of islands for 70 years, dating back to WWII. The Kuril Islands are administered by Russia but Tokyo claims that the sovereignty of the Northern Territories captured by Soviet troops during WWII has never been debatable.

The four disputed islands have been part of Japan since the early 19th century, Tokyo argued and derided Russia for halting its joint economic projects in relation to the islands.

Russia's Eastern Military District on Friday said that it is conducting military drills on the archipelago that separates the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean with more than 3,000 troops and dozens of army equipment, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported. The southernmost islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and Habomai lie just a few kilometres off the north coast of Hokkaido, the main Japanese island, and were captured by the Soviet Union army in 1945. Tokyo had surrendered in front of the Soviet Union during WWII.

Both Russia and Japan have still not formally ended World War II hostilities over the island dispute. Japan has been trying to re-capture the island that currently falls under the jurisdiction of Russia. It argues that the expansion was unconstitutional and demands their return, while Russia says it was a legitimate consequence of the war. 

“Our country’s sovereignty covers the Northern Territories,” Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has repeatedly told the parliament since his election, adding that he will resolve the issue of the disputed island with Russia "very soon,” as per Kyodo. 

"The sovereignty of our country extends to the Northern Territories [Southern Kuril Islands]. The government has not changed its stance on this matter. The subject of negotiations on the conclusion of the peace treaty [with Russia] is the issue of ownership of the four islands. This is Japan's consistent position," the Japanese Prime Minister had told Parliament. 

Russia 'does not intend to continue negotiations with Japan..': Russian Foreign Ministry

Russia also unilaterally withdrew from WWII peace treaty talks with Japan and frozen joint economic projects related to the disputed Kuril islands due to its coordinated Western sanctions against Moscow. "Under the current conditions Russia does not intend to continue negotiations with Japan on a peace treaty," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It derided Japan’s "openly unfriendly positions and attempts to damage the interests of our country”. In a shocking announcement, Russia's Deputy Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said that Japan and Moscow will never achieve consensus on the Kuril Islands. Medvedev labelled the suspension of dialogue with Japan as "historically justified, outdated and fair” on his Telegram channel. 

Just last week, Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi referred to the Kuril Islands as an integral part of the country and not Russia's. During a debate in the National Diet (Parliament), he termed the region as the original territories of Japan. Affirming that Japan's stance on the long-standing disputed territory remains unchanged, the Minister said the islands are 'primordially Japanese'.

Image: AP