Japan-Soviet Declaration Marks 70th Anniv. amid Strained Ties

Tokyo, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)--As Monday marked the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration, which stipulates the return of two of the four disputed islands to Japan, Russia has further hardened its stance on the territorial dispute.

The declaration includes an agreement for Moscow to hand over Shikotan and the Habomai group, part of the disputed islands called the Northern Territories in Japan, after the two sides conclude a peace treaty that formally ends their World War II hostilities.

In 2018, then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to use the 1956 joint declaration as the basis for peace treaty talks. Since the declaration made no mention of the other two islands, Kunashiri and Etorofu, Japan was viewed as shifting away from seeking the return of all four islands.

Now, even the return of Shikotan and the Habomai group is uncertain.

"We take seriously the fact that the Northern Territories issue remains unresolved," Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference on Monday. "We will continue necessary communication with the Russian side and work toward a breakthrough."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]