Unresolved isle row with Russia regrettable: Japan's Ishiba
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, in a video message at a national rally held in Tokyo Friday, said it is "really regrettable" that the country's territorial row with Russia over four northwestern Pacific islands remains unresolved 80 years after the end of World War II.
The Russian-controlled islands, known collectively as the Northern Territories in Japan, were seized by the former Soviet Union from Japan in the closing days of the war. Feb. 7 is Northern Territories Day in Japan.
In the message sent to the annual rally to demand the return of the islands to Japan, Ishiba said, "Although Russo-Japanese relations are in a tough situation due to Moscow's invasion to Ukraine, Japan firmly adheres to its policy of concluding a (World War II) peace treaty (with Russia) after resolving the issue of ownership of the islands."
The long-standing territorial dispute has been preventing Tokyo and Moscow from concluding a peace treaty to formally end their wartime hostilities.
Ishiba also indicated a plan to ask Russia for the restart of currently suspended exchange projects related to the islands, putting weight on a program allowing former Japanese residents to visit their family graves on the islands.
The rally was organized by the Cabinet Office and others. The prime minister, now on a trip to the United States, did not attend the event in person.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Photo by Reuters
