Russian lower house blasts bill to stress Japan's sovereignty over 4 islands

Thursday 25th June, 05:46 AM JST

Moscow —

Russia’s parliament Wednesday blasted the Japanese lower house’s passage of a bill on Japan’s sovereignty over four Russian-administered islands off Hokkaido, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported. The June 11 passage of the bill by the Japanese House of Representatives dashed hope for bilateral negotiations for signing a peace treaty, the State Duma said in a statement it adopted during Wednesday’s plenary session, according to Interfax. Unless Japan’s parliament scraps the bill, bilateral negotiations for signing the treaty will be deadlocked, the statement said. The Russian lower house also hinted at adopting a bill to counter the Japanese bill.

If talks over a peace treaty are stalled as a result of the Japanese Diet’s latest move, Japan will be fully responsible for the consequence, the statement said. The Japanese bill would amend a decades-old law intended to accelerate campaigning for sovereignty over the disputed islands—Kunashiri, Etorofu, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group. The bill stipulates that Japan will ‘‘make utmost efforts to realize the early return of the islands, which are an integral part of our country.’’ Earlier this month, the Russian Foreign Ministry also issued critical comments on the bill, describing it as ‘‘inappropriate and unacceptable.’’ Tokyo has been calling for control of all four islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in Russia as the Southern Kurils. The dispute has prevented Japan and Russia from signing a bilateral peace treaty since the end of World War II.

Kyodo

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Latest 15 of 74 Total Comments Show All

BeaverCleaver at 03:10 PM JST - 27th June

If I were King of the World the islands would given back to the Ainu. But if we are talking practicality, I am afraid that once war breaks out all treaties are null and void unless both say otherwise and agree to respect those treaties. The Russians are not honoring the treaties. They only have a value to museums now. Both countries are technically at war, but that does not matter either. Only the fact the war started at all does.

The Russians hold the islands militarily, so they belong to Russia. The Russians brought the cheese, the Japanese are only bringing the whine. I am surprised the Japanese got a deal for two islands that way. They won't get more without a military invasion or paying good money for them. Until they do, the Japanese government should shut up. I feel embarrassed for the Japanese people the way the government goes on about this.
YuriOtani at 07:00 AM JST - 28th June

BeaverCleaver, the Japanese public is behind their government. Russia hit Japan when they were down. Japans mistake was helping them after the collapse of the Soviet thugs. It would be in Japans best interest to do nothing that supports the Russian thug in any fashion. Do not buy their resources, do not invest in them, etc. We need to close off our waters to these thugs and thief's ships. We need to invite the Americans to remove their military forces and defend Japan without their "influence".

Japan wants to live in peace with the rest of the world. We are a sovereign country. To the Russians, give us back our territory, to the Koreans enjoy your rock and to the Americans we can take care of ourselves. If Japan must make its own deterrent force than it is fate. What will Russia take next?
BeaverCleaver at 04:37 PM JST - 28th June

YuriOtani-"BeaverCleaver, the Japanese public is behind their government. "

What? The majority of living Japanese have never been behind their government ever! Japanese apathy toward politics is famous.

"Russia hit Japan when they were down. "

Prior to that, Japan hit all their neighbors who were down, particularly China. There is only one reason why the Japanese left any territory they took in that era, and this because they were kicked out militarily. We all play the same rules, and it was Japan that invoked the rule of conquer by force. We have a saying: Don't dish it out if you cannot take it. Another: If you cannot take the heat, get out of the kitchen. Japan made her bed. Now she can sleep in it.

I am not sorry for your islands. They belonged to the Ainu before you, and guess how you took them then. That is correct. By force. When they were down.
Blue_Tiger at 05:43 PM JST - 28th June

If Japan thinks Russia is giving back any of the territory they gained as a result of Japan's loss in the Pacific War, they can think again. With Japan's attitude towards the Pacific War and their instigation of it being what it is -- not to mention their attitude towards the illegal 50-year occupation of Korea and Manchuria -- this decision by the Duma comes as absolutely no surprise....
UnagiDon at 07:47 PM JST - 28th June

"the illegal 50-year occupation of Korea and Manchuria"

Hardly "illegal" at the time. Sure it was vicious, rapacious, cruel, et.c but it was no more "illegal" than Russia's "occupation" of these Kuriles.
UnagiDon at 08:49 PM JST - 28th June

I'd almost accept the fact that the Soviets took these islands by force if they had been taken from the USSR (or Imperial Russia) by force, but they were not. They were divvied up by treaty decades before.

And I'm still waiting for you Ainu activists here to propose Russia returns all of the Kuriles and Sakhalin to the Ainu and their relatives, plus having Russia return Kamchatka to the Aleuts, and the US tosses the whole Aleutian island chain their way too. Might as well throw in Alaska too. Your hypocrisy is disgusting and is driven by contempt for Japan rather than any actual sympathies.
Brunobear at 09:55 PM JST - 28th June

Toecutter: Thank you for your history of the islands. It makes the picture as historical context usually does. Nothing like some facts. Well done!
BeaverCleaver at 11:48 PM JST - 28th June

UnagiDon-" And I'm still waiting for you Ainu activists here to propose Russia returns all of the Kuriles and Sakhalin to the Ainu and their relatives,...Your hypocrisy is disgusting and is driven by contempt for Japan rather than any actual sympathies."

Hypocrisy? The subject is not those places you mention. The subject is four islands in the Kurile chain. You do not know how anyone thinks about the other places you mentioned. But I can tell you for myself that I always favor giving such sparcely populated areas back to the original inhabitants. These island sure fit the bill.

The reason that we harp on Japan more than Russia is that Japan is the hypocrite. They keep asking for the land back, but if they got it back and then the Ainu asked for the land back, you think they would get an audience? It would be really nice of Russia to give the land to the Ainu. But its hardly a standard practice, so we don't expect it. But Japan acts like it is or should be standard practice, but you know they will not practice what they preach themselves if and when they get the chance.
UnagiDon at 01:23 AM JST - 29th June

Beaver;

I always favor giving such sparcely populated areas back to the original inhabitants.

Ah, so only sparsely-populated areas are worth returning. That has a more than slightly condescending air, don't you think? Is Alaska sparsely-populated enough?

It would be really nice of Russia to give the land to the Ainu. But its hardly a standard practice, so we don't expect it.

So why expect Japan to? Where is Japan saying that the Ainu are an issue re the Kuriles, other than in the mind of JT poser, and thus how is Japan being a hypocrite on this issue?

The subject is four islands in the Kurile chain.

That is right, and that subject is about debate on these islands between two sovereign nations, Japan and Russia, not strawman arguments about mean old Japan keeping the Ainu down.
UnagiDon at 01:24 AM JST - 29th June

Meant to say "posters", not "posers", though "posers" may be appropriate in some cases.
amerijap at 10:25 AM JST - 29th June

They were divvied up by treaty decades before.

Really??? I never heard of that before. The treaty mainly focuses on the boundary of Kurile island which belongs to Russia, rather than the custody of the four islands they have been disputing until today. I'm still not convinced by the statement that both Japan and Russia agreed that the islands belong to Japanese sovereignty based on the treaty in 1855/75. Did they really make an official agreement about the custody of four islands before they engaged in the war battles, in-between the wartime(WWI &WWII), or after the Cold War? If they did, there should be a proof of official document or manifest signed by both national representatives.

And I'm still waiting for you Ainu activists here to propose Russia returns all of the Kuriles and Sakhalin to the Ainu and their relatives, The reason that we harp on Japan more than Russia is that Japan is the hypocrite.

OK. I'm not interested in the contention over which country is being a hypocrite, ruthless barbarian, or communist scum. I don't care what some folks are bitching on Japan or Russia regarding the issue. The most important point is that a country who claims the islands will take all the responsibilities for the betterment of residents in terms of civilization, democracy, and preservation of cultural heritage. What I have seen so far is the representatives of both countries standing in an international civil court to fight for the custody of unclaimed lands. Personally, I’m bit frustrated because neither Russia nor Japan has yet to make an argument that articulates what is the best interest for the local residents of the islands.
0letstalk at 11:56 PM JST - 29th June

What are you all about? 70 posts about what? History? Funny. The current situation is that Russia now is in the position not to care about any treaty much. But this is not the real reason of Japans recent move. Japan finally bought Russian gas some months ago. How bad!!! In order to look good for their J-citizenz (why on earth have they been printing all those textbooks for brainwash?) they pushed a new "angry" bill. I agree it was to clumsy and stupid. The result was fast: Shell again is about to take control over Sakhalin proiect from Gazprom and the gas will go to Shells best consumers: Europeans.
betepunap at 02:33 AM JST - 30th June

There's even more amazing fact. All the territory of USA belonged to Indian tribes, and yankees took it from them by force. And much of it as late as after 1850.

About Kuriles there is simple solution. Four isles from now are renamed to Middle Kuriles. Hokkaido, Honshu, Kushu and Okinawa from now are renamed to Southern Kuriles. Voila! Southern Kuriles may be given to Japan. But in my opinion, Hokkaido should be given to Ainu people.
sfjp330 at 03:22 AM JST - 1st July

Re: UnagiDon, 29th June, "Sparsely populated area worth returning"

Main importance for Japan to have control of these four island is about fishing rights in the Kurile Island area. There are significant number of fish in this area. Currently, the fisherman have to navigate outside of the Russian controlled island.
YuriOtani at 01:05 AM JST - 2nd July

As long as their is a dispute their will be no peace treaty. It must be fate.