Tokyo continues to pursue a policy aimed at resolving its territorial dispute with Moscow and signing a peace treaty, despite difficult relations with Russia, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday.
"The situation in Japanese-Russian relations is difficult because of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine but Japan will continue to pursue its policy aimed at resolving the territorial dispute and signing a peace treaty," he pointed out in an address to the lower house of parliament.
Since the mid-20th century, Moscow and Tokyo have been holding talks in order to clinch a peace treaty as a follow-up to World War II. The southern Kuril Islands issue remains the key sticking point. In 1945, the whole archipelago was handed over to the Soviet Union. Tokyo, however, laid claims to Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and a group of uninhabited islands. The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated that Moscow’s sovereignty over the islands is enshrined in international law and cannot be called into question.
In March 2022, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Moscow was suspending peace treaty talks with Tokyo following Japan’s move to impose unilateral sanctions on Russia due to the situation in Ukraine. Moscow also pulled out of dialogue on joint economic activities on the southern Kuril islands and blocked the extension of Japan’s status as sectoral dialogue partner in the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization.
