Monday marked 70 years since Japan and the Soviet Union signed their 1956 joint declaration, which provides for two of four disputed islands, Shikotan and the Habomai group, to be handed to Japan once a peace treaty is concluded, The Japan Times reports. The islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories, are held by Russia.
Prospects for any return have faded. Since Japan joined Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has suspended peace treaty talks, labelled Japan an unfriendly country, ended visa-free visits to the islands and declared the territorial question settled. In August Vladimir Putin visited Etorofu for the first time as leader. The paper says Russia's tougher line also reflects closer alignment with China, which has accused Japan of renewed militarism.
Source: The Japan Times
