TOKYO, October 22. /TASS/. Japan has repeatedly changed its stance on the southern part of the Kurils after Tokyo’s defeat in World War II, however, only a small part of society is aware of it, Associate Professor of the Doshisha University Tateishi Yoko, author of numerous books on the history of the USSR and Russia, told TASS on Friday.
"In Japan, there is a popular belief that after the end of World War II, both countries consistently and firmly insisted on their sovereignty over the four islands (the southern part of the Kuril Islands) and were in a standoff all the time. However, Tokyo's position on this issue was not always that consistent. For example, in 1951, while concluding the Treaty of San Francisco (with the US and several other countries of the anti-fascist coalition), the Japanese Foreign Ministry stated that the Iturup and Kunashir Islands were included in the Kuril Islands, which Tokyo had relinquished in line with this document," the Japanese expert noted.
"In 1955, during talks with the USSR to restore diplomatic ties, the Japanese government was ready to accept the Soviet proposal to conclude a peace treaty, transferring only the Shikotan and Habomai Islands. This option was not implemented due to US intervention as well as resistance within Tokyo’s ruling party. After the end of the Cold War, the parties again were looking for a mutually acceptable solution and, at some point, seemed to come close to an agreement. However, these facts are not well-known in Japan. Many students are astonished when they find out about it for the first time," Yoko went on to say.
According to the Japanese expert, in order to resume any constructive dialogue, the sides should raise public awareness of real progress on the post-war negotiations between the two countries, so as not to "create a simple black-and-white picture" of Russian-Japanese relations.
For decades, Moscow and Tokyo have been holding consultations in order to hammer out a peace treaty in the aftermath of 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 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.