Russia-Japan relations

1. The Four Disputed Islands. . .

2. Japan’s Position
• The 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Declaration did not apply to the Northern Territories because those
islands had never belonged to Russia even before 1904–1905.
• Russia had not previously claimed the disputed islands, not in all the time since it began diplomatic relations with Japan
in 1855. Therefore the disputed islands could not be considered part of the territories acquired by Japan "by violence
and greed".
• The Yalta Agreement "did not determine the final settlement of the territorial problem, as it was no more than a
statement by the then leaders of the Allied Powers as to principles of the postwar settlement. (Territorial issues should
be settled by a peace treaty.) Furthermore, Japan is not bound by this document, to which it did not agree."
• Russia's 1945 entry into the war against Japan was a violation of the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact, and the
occupation of the islands was therefore a violation of international law. The Soviet Union repudiated the neutrality pact
on April 5, 1945, but the pact remained in effect until April 13, 1946.
• Although by the terms of Article (2c) of the 1951 San Francisco treaty, Japan renounced all rights to the Kuril Islands,
the treaty did not apply to the islands of Kunashiri, Etorofu, Shikotan and the Habomai rocks since they are not
included in the Kuril Islands. Also, the Soviet Union did not sign the San Francisco treaty.

3. Russia’s Position
• Russia maintains that all the Kuril Islands, including those that Japan calls the Northern Territories, are legally a part of Russia
as a result of World War II, and that this acquisition was as proper as any other change of international boundaries following
the war.Moscow cites the following basic points:
• The explicit language of the Yalta Treaty gave the Soviet Union a right to the Kurils, and the Soviet Union upheld its own
obligations under that treaty.
• Russia inherited possession of the islands from the former Soviet Union, as its successor state, in accordance with international
law.
• The Japanese assertion that the disputed islands are not part of the Kurils is simply a tactic to bolster Tokyo's territorial claim
and is not supported by history or geography.
• Russia has said it is open to a negotiated "solution" to the island dispute while declaring that the legality of its own claim to the
islands is not open to question.In other words, Japan would first have to recognize Russia's right to the islands and then try to
acquire some or all of them through negotiations.

4. Why are the islands important?
• Personal Reasons: Many people in eastern
Hokkaido in particular were born on one of the four
islands and their family graves are still there. Now, two or
three generations of Russian settlers have also lived on the
islands.
• Economic Reasons: The islands have mineral
resources, which include offshore hydrocarbon deposits,
gold, silver, iron, and titanium. Etorofu is the only source
in Russia of the rare metal rhenium, which has important
uses in electronics. The waters off the islands are an
exceptionally rich source for fish and seafood production,
worth an estimated 4 billion dollars a year.
•
• Defense/Strategic Reasons: The deep
channels between the southern Kuril Islands allow
Russian submarines to transit to the open ocean
underwater. Russian military planners have argued that
the loss of these channels would reduce the effectiveness
of the Russian Pacific Fleet and thereby reduce Russian
security in the region. Control of the islands by either
Russia or Japan also serves as a check on Chinese navy
moving into northeast Asia.
• Diplomatic Reasons: The islands represent a
form of diplomatic chess between Japan and Russia,
which still not have signed a peace treaty, and who both
have some concerns about China. But neither side
wants to blink first.

5. The Two-Island Compromise
During negotiations in the 1950s,
Japan was prepared to the return of
only Habomai and Shikotan, before
the U.S. stepped in and told the
Japanese government it would keep
Okinawa if it made such a deal with
Russia. Japan. Since then, Japan has
demanded the return of all four
islands.
This has formed the basis for the
stalemate every since.

6. NEMURO
The Front Line of the Dispute
Foggy, chilly Nemuro feels like
Another Country. Here, the desire for
the Four Islands to be returned is at
its strongest, yet there is also a strong
desire to get along with the Russians.
People here see the Russians more as
neighbors than as distant foreigners.
Lots of marriages between Russians
and local Japanese. Large numbers of
visiting Russians from the Four Islands
give Nemuro a feel unlike any other
city in Japan. Whatever deal Japan
and Russia eventually reach, Nemuro
is likely to play a very large role in
shaping.