- Russian defense minister dispatches expedition to ‘mysterious’ Kuril island
- Russia's anti-terrorist drills in Kurils crowned with live fire exercise
- Japan closely following construction of military infrastructure on Kuril Islands
- Russia plans to complete development of military facilities in Kuril islands in 2016
- Japan's Defense Ministry collecting data on Russian construction activity on Kuril Islands
Territorial dispute over Kuril Islands
Russia and Japan have no peace treaty signed after World War II. Settlement of the problem inherited by Russia’s diplomacy from the Soviet Union is hampered by the years-long dispute over the four islands of Russia’s Southern Kurils Shikotan, Khabomai, Iturup and Kunashir, which Japan calls its northern territories.
After World War II, in September 1945, Japan signed the capitulation, and in February 1946, the Kuril Islands were declared territories of the Soviet Union.
During the Cold War, Moscow did not recognize the territorial problem, but in October 1993, when Russian president Boris Yeltsin was on an official visit in Japan, the existence of the problem was confirmed officially. However, the two countries have reached no compromise over the dispute yet.