TOKYO, February 7. /TASS/. Japan remains committed to signing a peace treaty with Russia despite difficulties in relations, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said during a rally for the return of Russia’s Southern Kuril Islands.
"The fact that the question of 'Northern Territories' has not yet been resolved 80 years after the end of the [Second World] War, and the peace treaty has not yet been signed, is beyond sad," she said at this year’s National Rally to Demand the Return of the Northern Territories (Japan’s name for Southern Kurils).
"Commitment to resolving the problem of sovereignty over the four northern Islands [another name for the Southern Kurils in Japan] and to signing a peace treaty remains unchanged," she added.
In her words, "the situation in relations between Russia and Japan remains difficult" because of the special military operation in Ukraine.
In accordance with the Japanese government’s decision made back in 1981, the country annually holds National Rally to Demand the Return of the Northern Territories every year, on February 7. Such events are traditionally attended by the premier, ministers, parliamentarians from the ruling party and the opposition, and former residents of Southern Kurils. Ultra-right group use it as a pretext for anti-Russian rallies.
Moscow and Tokyo have been in negotiations on a peace treaty based on the outcome of World War II since the mid-20th century. The main obstacle to such an accord remains the disagreement over rights to the southern part of the Kuril Islands. After the war, the entire archipelago was incorporated into the Soviet Union, but Japan disputes the ownership of the islands of Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan, as well as several small uninhabited islands. The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stressed that Russia’s sovereignty over these islands is based on a firm legal foundation and is indisputable. After Tokyo imposed anti-Russian sanctions over the situation in Ukraine, Russia suspended consultations with Japan on a peace treaty.