TOKYO, October 7. /TASS/. A group of Japanese tourists will set off on the first organized tour of the Southern Kuril Islands within a joint Russian-Japanese program of economic activity in the region, the Japanese Foreign Ministry informed on Monday.

The first tour will take place on October 11-16. About 50 people will form the tourist group, including representatives of the Japanese government.

Russia’s Federal Agency for Tourism said on August 15 that regular tourist trips to the southern Kuril Islands for the Japanese would be organized in 2020. The agency added that the project, aimed at boosting tourist inflow to Russia, would also help take the tourist flow between Japan and Russia to 400,000 by 2023.

Since the mid-20th century, Russia and Japan have been holding consultations in order to clinch a peace treaty as a follow-up to World War II. The Kuril Islands issue remains the sticking point since after WWII the islands were handed over to the Soviet Union while Japan has laid claims to the four southern islands. In 1956, the two countries signed a common declaration on ending the state of war and restoring diplomatic and all other relations, however, a peace treaty has still not been reached. Moscow has stated many times that Russia’s sovereignty over the islands cannot be questioned.

The two countries continue consultations on joint economic activities on the southern Kuril Islands in the areas of aquaculture, greenhouse farming, tourism, wind energy and waste management. Russia and Japan consider joint economic activities on the islands to be an important step towards signing a peace treaty. In June 2019, Moscow and Tokyo agreed on two plans concerning waste management and tourism.