Japan has firmly protested on Tuesday March 22 against Russia’s decision to abandon negotiations for a peace treaty between the two countries because, according to Moscow, of the ” unfriendly position from Tokyo on the conflict in Ukraine. The two countries never signed a peace treaty at the end of the Second World War because of the dispute over the Kuril Islands: annexed by the Soviet Union in 1945, they were never returned to Japan, which considered as ” integral part of its territory.
” This situation is (in fact) the result of Russian aggression in Ukraine Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told parliament in Tokyo. ” The (Russian) attempt to shift this issue to Japan-Russia relations is extremely unjustified and absolutely unacceptable “, he added.
Japan ” firmly protest “Launched the Japanese leader, once again condemning Russia for its actions in Ukraine which “ change the status quo by force, unilaterally “.
Japan has joined Western countries in recent weeks by taking heavy economic sanctions against Moscow for its offensive in Ukraine launched on February 24.
Moscow and Tokyo still officially at war
Japan and Russia have had a complex relationship for decades. The two countries did not sign a peace treaty after World War II. due to a dispute over four small islands in the Kuril Archipelagolocated in the far north of Japan.
Russia abruptly announced on Monday March 21 that it was giving up peace negotiations with Japanjudging ” impossible to discuss (…) with a State which occupies an openly unfriendly position and seeks to harm the interests from Moscow.
The country also announced that it would end a visa exemption allowing Japanese people to travel to the disputed islands and withdraw from negotiations on joint economic activity between the two countries there.
The volcanic islands in questionlocated between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean, are called ” Southern Kuril Islands by Russia and Northern Territories by Japan. They were taken by the Soviet army in 1945 and have never been returned to Tokyo since.
Tokyo considers these four islands, with a population of 20,000, to be ” integral part of the territory of Japan “.
(with AFP)
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