The Kuril Islands dispute, known as the Nothern territories Island in Japan, is a territorial dispute between Russia and Japan. The Kuril Islands are a chain of Islands stretching between the Japanese Islands that extend between the Island of Hokkaido and the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula. The Kuril Islands separate the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean. Read on to learn more about the Kuril Islands dispute existing between Japan and Russia.
The current Kuril Islands dispute arose in the aftermath of World War II. As a result, there was a disagreement about the meaning of the Yalta agreement and the Treaty of San Francisco. Japan described the four disputed islands with Russia illegally occupying the two areas through a diplomatic Bluebook. While Japan refers to it as the Nothern territories, Russia calls them the Kuril Islands. The resolution on Kuril Island dates back to 1855 with the Russo-Japanese agreement known as the Treaty of Shimoda.
Japan also has disputes existing between South Korea. The two countries also have different names for the land in dispute. While Japan calls it Takeshima South Korea refers to it as the Dokdo Islands.
Recently some media reported that Russia planned to invade Japan in the summer of 2021, several months before they initiated invading Ukraine. Russia is also building military facilities in the Kuril Islands areas although it is not likely that Japan will try to start a military conflict against Russia in an effort to regain control of the islands. Japanese people especially the residents of Hokkaido have a fear that someday Russia will invade Hokkaido. Therefore, the news that Russia was planning to invade Japan recently was quite shocking while this could be disinformation.Read this article to learn moreabout the news of “Russia invades Japan”.
In any case, it would be very difficult for Russia to declare ware against Japan because it is almost the same as declaring war against the US.
Relationship between Japan diplomatic Bluebook and Kuril Islands Dispute?
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign affairs publishes annual reports annually and International diplomacy of Japan. The first publication was done in September 1957. The dispute between Japan and Russia is over the sovereignty of the South Kuril Islands. The island consists of the Etorofu Islands, KunashiriIslands, Shikotan Islands, and Habomai islands. The two countries have been fighting about the ownership of the island. Although Russia has made the occupation of the island, Japan continues to take its stakes on the claim of the island
The Reason for the Existence of the Dispute.
The Kuril Islands stretch from the Japanese islands of Hokkaido to the southern tip of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, separating the Okhotsk sea from the Nothern Pacific Ocean. The island has over 100 volcanoes, of which 35 are said to be active, along with hot springs. The islands’ significance is that they are rich in fishing grounds and have offshore reserves of soil and gas.
For Russia, the significance of the location is that it is strategically located to deploy missile systems. Russia plans to secure the island to start a submarine project to prevent the American military from using the region.
Why Japan Claims the Sovereignty
Japan has been trying to claim its historical rights from the southernmost islands. Japan has been trying to persuade the USSR and, since 1991, the Russians to return the islands to them. During a summit in 2018, the Russian President and the Japanese Prime Minister held talks to resolve the issue. They made a decision based on the 1956 declaration. Later, Russia indicated that the declarations to resolve the dispute needed to be clarified, and there was no reason mentioned in the declaration for them to return the Habomai and the Shikotan islands. Despite many efforts to settle the conflict, the tension remains the same, and Japan continues to claim its inheritance rights over the Kuril islands.
