Japan Aims to Sign Peace Treaty with Russia, Says Foreign Minister

The new government of Japan, led by Sanae Takaichi, intends to resolve the issue of the ownership of the southern Kuril Islands and sign a peace treaty with Russia. This position was stated by the new head of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Toshimitsu Motegi, during his first press conference after his appointment. This was reported by the TASS agency.

“We will continue to follow the stance of resolving the ownership issue of the four northern islands, which is how the southern part of the Kuril Islands is referred to in Japan, and signing a peace treaty,” he said. At the same time, the minister admitted that “it is currently impossible to talk about any progress in negotiations regarding a peace agreement with Russia.” Motegi emphasized that restoring the travel of former Japanese residents of the southern Kuril Islands to visit their relatives' graves is a priority for the government.

“This is a priority issue and a critical humanitarian concern,” he stated, noting that the Japanese government will actively seek the restoration of these trips by Russia.

Since the middle of the 20th century, Moscow and Tokyo have conducted consultations regarding a peace treaty following the results of World War II. The main obstacle on the way to achieving this has been the disputes over the rights to the southern part of the Kuril Islands. After the end of the war, the entire archipelago was annexed by the USSR, but Japan contests the ownership of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and a number of small uninhabited islands.