Japan lodges a protest against Russia’s symbolic activities on the disputed Kuril Islands. Meanwhile, Russia dismisses Japan’s claims, asserting its sovereignty over the islands is non-negotiable.
Kuril Islands / © Archive
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Russia intends to rename the island of Mali Kurily, which is part of the disputed Southern Kurils, in honor of the Soviet intelligence officer Richard Sorge. They plan to install a memorial plaque for him there. Tokyo is alarmed by Moscow’s actions, considering these territories to be Japanese.
This is reported by The Diplomat.
“The planned naming of a disputed Kuril island in honor of Richard Sorge is another example of Russia strengthening its control over these territories. It is part of Moscow’s decades-long efforts to use commemorations to bolster its claims, despite Tokyo’s protests,” the article states.
What is known about the island that is part of the Kurils
The island of Mali Kurily is part of the disputed Southern Kurils, which Japan refers to as the Northern Territories. The Kuril Islands stretch from Hokkaido to the Kamchatka Peninsula and provide Russia with access from the Sea of Okhotsk to the Pacific Ocean.
Soviet troops occupied the islands in 1945, shortly before Japan’s surrender that concluded World War II.
Japan still claims the four southernmost islands: Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and the Habomai Islands. The dispute over ownership of this territory has been ongoing for over 80 years.
Russia’s territorial claims regarding the Kuril Islands
The publication notes that naming the island after Sorge links Russia’s territorial claims through Soviet wartime achievements. It also serves as a reminder to Tokyo of a period that remains “sensitive” in Japan.
Russia has previously attempted to associate Sorge’s name with the disputed Kuril Islands. In January 2022, Moscow proposed exhuming the scout’s remains in Tokyo and reburying them on one of the disputed Kuril Islands.
Additionally, Moscow has previously named various sites on the Kurils in 2012 and 2017. Many of these honor Soviet intelligence officers, military commanders, and officials associated with the Soviet Union’s capture of the islands in 1945. Among them are:
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Pavel Fitin, who headed Soviet foreign intelligence from 1939 to 1946;
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General Kuzma Derevyanko, who signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on behalf of the Soviet Union aboard the US transport ship “Missouri”;
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and General Alexei Gnechko, who commanded the Soviet operation that captured the Kurils in 1945.
Japan claims Russian occupation of territories: Moscow denies it
Japan protests against Russia’s symbolic activities on the disputed Kuril Islands. Tokyo considers Russia’s control over the Southern Kurils an illegal occupation, as the Soviet Union seized the islands in 1945 while the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact remained in effect.
Japan renounced its claims to the Kuril Islands under the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty, but Tokyo argues that the disputed islands are not part of the Kuril chain.
Meanwhile, Russia dismisses Japan’s claims and asserts that its sovereignty over the islands is non-negotiable.
Conflict between Russia and Japan – what is known
We remind you that Moscow announced a record deterioration in relations with Tokyo. The reason is the investment of a Japanese company in Ukrainian drones. The Kremlin called the deal an “outright hostile step.” The Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement also said that the policy of the new government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi “has brought bilateral relations to a historical low.”
Subsequently, Japan announced an urgent strengthening of its defenses due to Russia’s sharp increase in military activity in the region.
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