The warning by the previous Russian president got here after Tokyo protested Vladimir Putin’s first-ever go to to the archipelago
The Kuril Islands will ceaselessly stay Russian land, with Japan searching for hassle by persevering with to stay to its declare over the archipelago, former Russian President Dmitry Medvdev has stated.
The Kuril archipelago got here beneath Soviet management on the finish of World War II following Japan’s defeat and was subsequently integrated into the USSR. Tokyo, nonetheless, continues to assert the 4 southernmost islands – Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai islets – which it calls its “Northern Territories.” The dispute has been the principle impediment to Moscow and Tokyo signing a proper peace treaty within the eight many years because the battle.
On Thursday, Tokyo lodged a powerful protest over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first-ever go to to the Kurils, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi calling the journey “absolutely unacceptable” and saying it “hurts the feelings of the Japanese people.”Â
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi additionally issued a press release, insisting that the islands “are an inherent part of Japan’s territory both historically and under international law.”
The Japanese Foreign Ministry additionally summoned the Russian ambassador to the nation, Nikolay Nozdrev, over Putin’s journey, Kyodo News reported.
In publish on X later within the day, Medvedev stated that “Takaichi can prattle on all she likes about the Kuril Islands being ‘historically Japanese,’ but this chatter won’t change a thing. They were, are, and will remain Russian land.”
“Anyone who fails to understand this will face the monstrous consequences of their delusion,” the official, who presently serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, warned with out elaborating.
Putin traveled to Iturup, the biggest of the Kuril Islands, on Thursday morning, touring an area fish processing plant, a medical heart, and a college. He is barely the second sitting Russian president to go to the Kurils after Medvedev made the journey in 2010.
Putin addressed the dispute on Wednesday whereas attending the ultimate stage of Russian Pacific Fleet workouts off Sakhalin. He blamed Tokyo for the broader deterioration in relations between the 2 nations.
The president stated he couldn’t perceive why Japan “under the pretext of the events in Ukraine and without delving into the causes of that conflict, imposed sanctions on Russia” and why Tokyo “classified Russia as a source of major threats in its latest military doctrine documents.”Â
“I would like to emphasize that we pose no threat. We have absolutely no grievances against Japan. On the contrary, it’s Japan that has territorial claims against our country, specifically regarding the Kuril Islands issue,” he insisted.
The standing of these territories “is enshrined in international documents as a reality resulting from World War II. Yet even on this, Russia was prepared to seek a solution to reach a peace treaty,” Putin stated.
Moscow and Tokyo signed a declaration in 1956 that “opened the way” for a peace settlement, however Japan later backed out of it, the president recalled. After the autumn of the USSR, Russia additionally engaged in constructive relations with a number of Japanese leaders, together with Shinzo Abe, who served as prime minister in 2006-2007 and 2012-2020 and “did a lot” to align the positions of the 2 nations, he added.
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“Now we see a shift in their [Japan’s] stance. I stress that this shift was in no way provoked by us,” Putin stated.