JPN-RUS|Think about Japan Future

What is the Northern Territories dispute

"Bogdan Khmelnitskii" in Chopped Islands
散布山（択捉島）

By Данный снимок сделал Тихон Валерьевич Кононенко
(Файл загружен с моего компьютера) [CC0], Богдан Хмельницкий.JPG, via Wikimedia Commons

Japan and Russia conflicting dispute about dominion of the four northern islands (Etorofu Island, Kunashir Island, Shikotan Island, Habomai archipelago). Japan collectively call them "Northern Territories", but in Russia it is called "South Kuril Islands".

Place of the Northern Territories

The Northern Territories are the Islands of Etorofu Island, Kunashir Island, Shikotan Island and the Habomai Archipelago. Among these four islands, Etorofu Island and Kunashiri Island are located in the southern part of the Kuril Islands. The area of the Northern Territories is almost the same as Chiba Prefecture, 5036 square kilometers. In addition, Etorofu Island is located at the northernmost of the Northern Territories and is the largest island.

The north of the marker (Shikotan Island) is the selected island and the national back island,
the west of the marker is the Gumi archipelago

History of the Northern Territories dispute

Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration
The official name is called "Joint Declaration between Japan and the Soviet Socialist Republic" and has restored the relationship between Japan and the Soviet Union.
Regarding the territorial dispute , it was supposed to hand over the Habomai Archipelago and Shikotan Jima to Japan after concluding a peace treaty.
(For details, it is opened on the page of the Northern Territories dispute. )

Japanese-Soviet joint statement
The Japanese-Soviet joint statement announced that it will make further efforts to improve relations between the two countries.

Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference were made by President Roosevelt of the United States, Prime Minister Churchill of England and Prime Minister of the Soviet Union about talks about the treatment plan after World War II. At this meeting, the Yalta Agreement on which the establishment of the United Nations was decided was concluded.

Japan-Soviet Neutrality Pact
It was tied between Japan and the Soviet Union to preserve peace and friendly relations.

Japanese side claims

The Russian forces have not reached south of the Urup Island,and Northern Territories never became foreign territory.
Contrary to the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact which was still effective at that time, the Soviet Union occupied the Northern Territories and unilaterally transferred it to the Soviet territory.
The Kuril Islands refers to the islands that are north of Urup Island.
The Soviet Union illegally occupies the Northern Territories.

Russian side claim

It is Japan that had beaten Japan-Soviet Neutrality Pact first, so it is no issue that to occupied South Sakhalin before Japan signing an instrument of surrender.
The Northern Territories are included in the Kuril Islands that Japan abandoned at Treaty of San Francisco.
If the Peace Treaty is concluded between Japan and Russia, the Habomai archipelago and Shikotan island are returned.

Also, it is said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is showing a positive attitude toward solving the Northern Territories dispute, but at the Japan-Russia Summit held in Yamaguchi Prefecture in 2016 there was no major progress in the Northern Territories dispute is.

Russian aims

Why does Russia claim its ownership of the Northern Territories? The following are considered for the reason.

Because the Russian Navy can go out to the Pacific in winter, its military value is high. Also, in the Sea of Okhotsk, an attack type submarine equipped with nuclear weapons capable of attacking the United States and others is deployed, and the Northern Territories are "walls" which prevent America and others from invading there.

National Feeling

Relations between Russi and foreign countries