Kuril conflict. Kuril Islands claimed by Japan
The conflict over the Kuril Islands began long before World War II.
The dispute over the southernmost Kuril Islands - Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai - has been a point of tension between Japan and Russia since they were captured by the Soviet Union in 1945. More than 70 years later, Russian-Japanese relations are still not normal due to the ongoing territorial dispute. To a large extent, it was historical factors that prevented the solution of this issue. These include demographics, mentality, institutions, geography and economics—all of which encourage tough policies rather than compromise. The first four factors contribute to the continuation of the impasse, while the economy in the form of oil policy is associated with some hope of resolution.
Russia's claims to the Kuril Islands date back to the 17th century, resulting from periodic contacts with Japan through Hokkaido. In 1821, a de facto border was established, according to which Iturup became Japanese territory, and Russian land began with the island of Urup. Subsequently, according to the Treaty of Shimoda (1855) and the Treaty of St. Petersburg (1875), all four islands were recognized as Japanese territory. The last time the Kuril Islands changed their owner was as a result of World War II - in 1945 in Yalta, the Allies essentially agreed to transfer these islands to Russia.
The dispute over the islands has become part of politics cold war during negotiations for the San Francisco Peace Treaty, Article 2c of which forced Japan to renounce all its claims to the Kuril Islands. However, the Soviet Union's refusal to sign this agreement left these islands in a state of uncertainty. In 1956, a joint Soviet-Japanese declaration was signed, which de facto meant the end of the state of war, but could not resolve the territorial conflict. After the ratification of the US-Japan Security Treaty in 1960, further negotiations ceased, and this continued until the 1990s.
However, after the end of the Cold War in 1991, a new opportunity to resolve this issue seemed to arise. Despite the turbulent events in world affairs, the positions of Japan and Russia on the Kuril Islands issue have not undergone much change since 1956, and the reason for this situation was five historical factors outside the Cold War.
The first factor is demographic. Japan's population is already declining due to low birth rates and aging, while Russia's population has been declining since 1992 due to excess alcohol consumption and other social ills. This shift, coupled with the weakening of international influence, has led to the emergence of backward-looking trends, and both nations are now largely trying to resolve the issue by looking back rather than forward. Given these attitudes, it can be concluded that the aging populations of Japan and Russia are making it impossible for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Vladimir Putin to negotiate due to their deeply entrenched views on the Kuril Islands issue.
Context
Is Russia ready to return the two islands?
Sankei Shimbun 10/12/2016Military construction in the Kuril Islands
The Guardian 06/11/2015Is it possible to agree on the Kuril Islands?
BBC Russian Service 05/21/2015All this also plays into the hands of the mentality and perception of the outside world, which are formed on the basis of how history is taught, and in a broader sense, on the basis of how the media present it mass media and public opinion. For Russia, the collapse of the Soviet Union was a strong psychological blow, accompanied by a loss of status and power, since many former Soviet republics separated. This significantly changed Russia's borders and created significant uncertainty about the future of the Russian nation. It is well known that in times of crisis, citizens often exhibit stronger feelings of patriotism and defensive nationalism. The Kuril Islands dispute fills a void in Russia and also provides an opportunity to speak out against perceived historical injustices committed by Japan.
The perception of Japan in Russia was largely shaped by the issue of the Kuril Islands, and this continued until the end of the Cold War. Anti-Japanese propaganda became common after the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, and it was intensified by Japanese intervention during the Russian Civil War (1918–1922). This led many Russians to believe that as a result, all previously concluded treaties were annulled. However, Russia's victory over Japan in World War II ended the previous humiliation and strengthened symbolic meaning The Kuril Islands, which began to personify (1) the irreversibility of the results of World War II and (2) Russia’s status as a great power. From this point of view, the transfer of territory is seen as a revision of the outcome of the war. Therefore, control of the Kuril Islands remains of great psychological importance for the Russians.
Japan is trying to define its place in the world as a “normal” state, located next to an increasingly powerful China. The issue of the return of the Kuril Islands is directly related to the national identity of Japan, and these territories themselves are perceived as the last symbol of defeat in World War II. The Russian offensive and seizure of Japan's "inalienable territory" contributed to the victim mentality that became the dominant narrative after the end of the war.
This attitude is reinforced by Japanese conservative media, which often support foreign policy government. In addition, nationalists often use the media to viciously attack academics and politicians who hint at the possibility of compromise on the issue, leaving little room for maneuver.
This, in turn, influences the political institutions of both Japan and Russia. In the 1990s, President Boris Yeltsin's position was so weak that he feared possible impeachment if the Kuril Islands were transferred to Japan. At the same time, the central Russian government was weakened as a result of the growing influence of regional politicians, including two governors of the Sakhalin region - Valentin Fedorov (1990 - 1993) and Igor Fakhrutdinov (1995 - 2003), who actively opposed the possible sale of the Kuril Islands to Japan. They relied on nationalist feelings, and this was enough to prevent the completion of the treaty and its implementation in the 1990s.
Since President Putin came to power, Moscow has brought regional governments under its influence, but other institutional factors have also contributed to the stalemate. One example is the idea that a situation must mature before some issue or problem can be resolved. During the initial period of his rule, President Putin had the opportunity, but did not have the desire, to negotiate with Japan over the Kuril Islands. Instead, he decided to spend his time and energy trying to resolve the Sino-Russian border conflict through the issue of the Kuril Islands.
Since returning to the presidency in 2013, Putin has become increasingly dependent on the support of nationalist forces, and it is unlikely that he will be willing to cede the Kuril Islands to any extent. in a meaningful sense. Recent events in Crimea and Ukraine clearly demonstrate how far Putin is willing to go to protect Russia's national status.
Japanese political institutions, although they differ from Russian ones, also support a tough course of action in negotiations regarding the Kuril Islands. As a result of reforms carried out after the end of World War II, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) occupies a dominant position in Japan. With the exception of the period from 1993 to 1995 and from 2009 to 2012, the LDP has had and continues to have a majority in the national legislative assembly, and in fact its party platform on the return of the four southern islands of the Kuril chain has been an integral part of national policy since 1956.
Moreover, as a result of the 1990-1991 real estate crash, the Liberal Democratic Party has produced only two effective prime ministers, Koizumi Junichiro and Shinzo Abe, both of whom rely on nationalist support to maintain their positions. Finally, regional politics plays an important role in Japan, and elected politicians on the island of Hokkaido are pushing the central government to take an assertive stance in the dispute. Taken together, all these factors are not conducive to reaching a compromise that would include the return of all four islands.
Sakhalin and Hokkaido emphasize the importance of geography and regional interests in this dispute. Geography influences how people see the world and how they observe policy formation and implementation. Russia's most important interests are in Europe, followed by the Middle East and Central Asia, and only after that Japan. Here is one example: Russia devotes a significant part of its time and effort to the issue of NATO expansion to the east, in eastern part Europe, as well as the negative consequences associated with the events in Crimea and Ukraine. As for Japan, for it the alliance with the United States, China and the Korean Peninsula have a higher priority than relations with Moscow. The Japanese government must also heed public pressure to resolve issues with North Korea regarding kidnapping and nuclear weapons, which Abe has promised to do several times. As a result, the issue of the Kuril Islands is often relegated to the background.
Probably the only factor contributing to a possible resolution of the Kuril Islands issue is economic interests. After 1991, both Japan and Russia entered a period of prolonged economic crisis. The Russian economy hit its lowest point during its currency crisis in 1997, and is currently facing serious difficulties due to the collapse of oil prices and economic sanctions. However, the development of oil and gas fields in Siberia, in the process of which there is a combination of Japanese capital and Russian natural resources, promotes cooperation and possible resolution of the Kuril Islands issue. Despite the sanctions imposed, 8% of the oil consumed by Japan in 2014 was imported from Russia, and the increase in oil consumption and natural gas is largely related to the consequences of the disaster on nuclear power plant in Fukushima.
Taken together, historical factors largely determine the continued stagnation in resolving the issue of the Kuril Islands. Demographics, geography, political institutions, and the attitudes of Japanese and Russian citizens all contribute to a tough negotiating position. Oil policy provides some incentives for both nations to resolve disputes and normalize relations. However, this has not yet been enough to break the deadlock. Despite the possible change of leaders around the world, the main factors that have driven this dispute to an impasse will most likely remain unchanged.
Michael Bacalu is a member of the Council on Asian Affairs. He received a master's degree in international relations from Seoul University, South Korea, and a bachelor's degree in history and political sciences Arcadia University. The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author as an individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization with which he has an association.
InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.
There are also territorial disputes in the modern world. The Asia-Pacific region alone has several of these. The most serious of them is the territorial debate over the Kuril Islands. Russia and Japan are its main participants. The situation on the islands, which are considered a kind of between these states, has the appearance of a dormant volcano. Nobody knows when it will begin its “eruption.”
Discovery of the Kuril Islands
The archipelago, located on the border between and the Pacific Ocean, is the Kuril Islands. It stretches from Fr. Hokkaido to The territory of the Kuril Islands consists of 30 large areas of land, surrounded on all sides by sea and ocean waters, and a large number of small ones.
The first expedition from Europe that found itself near the shores of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin were Dutch sailors led by M. G. Friese. This event occurred in 1634. They not only made the discovery of these lands, but also proclaimed them as Dutch territory.
Explorers of the Russian Empire also studied Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands:
- 1646 - discovery of the northwestern Sakhalin coast by the expedition of V. D. Poyarkov;
- 1697 - V.V. Atlasov becomes aware of the existence of the islands.
At the same time, Japanese sailors begin to sail to the southern islands of the archipelago. By the end of the 18th century, their trading posts and fishing expeditions appeared here, and a little later - scientific expeditions. Special role The research belongs to M. Tokunai and M. Rinzou. Around the same time, an expedition from France and England appeared on the Kuril Islands.
The problem of discovering islands
The history of the Kuril Islands still preserves discussions regarding the issue of their discovery. The Japanese claim that they were the first to find these lands in 1644. The National Museum of Japanese History carefully preserves a map of that time, on which the corresponding symbols are applied. According to them, Russian people appeared there a little later, in 1711. In addition, a Russian map of this area, dated 1721, designates it as “Japanese Islands.” That is, Japan was the discoverer of these lands.
The Kuril Islands in Russian history were first mentioned in N.I. Kolobov’s report to Tsar Alexei in 1646 about the peculiarities of travel. Also, data from chronicles and maps of medieval Holland, Scandinavia and Germany indicate indigenous Russian villages.
By the end of the 18th century, they were officially annexed to the Russian lands, and the population of the Kuril Islands acquired Russian citizenship. At the same time, they began to charge state taxes. But neither then nor a little later was any bilateral Russian-Japanese treaty or international agreement signed that would secure Russia’s rights to these islands. Moreover, their southern part was not under the power and control of the Russians.
Kuril Islands and relations between Russia and Japan
The history of the Kuril Islands in the early 1840s is characterized by the intensification of the activities of English, American and French expeditions in the northwest Pacific Ocean. This determines a new surge of Russian interest in establishing relations with the Japanese side that are diplomatic and commercial in nature. Vice Admiral E.V. Putyatin in 1843 initiated the idea of equipping a new expedition to Japanese and Chinese territories. But it was rejected by Nicholas I.
Later, in 1844, he was supported by I. F. Krusenstern. But this did not receive the support of the emperor.
During this period, the Russian-American company took active steps to establish good relations with the neighboring country.
First treaty between Japan and Russia
The problem of the Kuril Islands was resolved in 1855, when Japan and Russia signed the first treaty. Before this, a fairly lengthy negotiation process took place. It began with Putyatin's arrival in Shimoda in the late autumn of 1854. But the negotiations were soon interrupted by an intense earthquake. A rather serious complication was the support provided by the French and English rulers to the Turks.
Main provisions of the agreement:
- establishing diplomatic ties between these countries;
- protection and patronage, as well as ensuring the inviolability of the property of subjects of one power on the territory of another;
- drawing the border between the states located near the islands of Urup and Iturup of the Kuril Archipelago (remaining indivisible);
- opening some ports for Russian sailors, allowing trade to take place here under the supervision of local officials;
- appointment of a Russian consul in one of these ports;
- granting the right of extraterritoriality;
- Russia receiving most favored nation status.
Japan also received permission from Russia to trade in the port of Korsakov, located on the territory of Sakhalin, for 10 years. The country's consulate was established here. At the same time, any trade and customs duties were excluded.
Attitude of countries to the Treaty
A new stage, which includes the history of the Kuril Islands, is the signing of the Russian-Japanese Treaty of 1875. It caused mixed reviews from representatives of these countries. Citizens of Japan believed that the country's government did the wrong thing by exchanging Sakhalin for “an insignificant ridge of pebbles” (as they called the Kuril Islands).
Others simply put forward statements about the exchange of one territory of the country for another. Most of them were inclined to think that sooner or later the day would come when war would come to the Kuril Islands. The dispute between Russia and Japan will escalate into hostilities, and battles will begin between the two countries.
The Russian side assessed the situation in a similar way. Most representatives of this state believed that the entire territory belonged to them as discoverers. Therefore, the 1875 treaty did not become the act that once and for all determined the demarcation between the countries. It also failed to be a means of preventing further conflicts between them.
Russo-Japanese War
The history of the Kuril Islands continues, and the next impetus to complicate Russian-Japanese relations was the war. It took place despite the existence of treaties concluded between these states. In 1904, Japan carried out a treacherous attack on Russian territory. This happened before the start of hostilities was officially announced.
The Japanese fleet attacked Russian ships that were in the outer roadstead of Port Artois. Thus, part of the most powerful ships belonging to the Russian squadron was disabled.
The most significant events of 1905:
- the largest land battle of Mukden in the history of mankind at that time, which took place on February 5-24 and ended with the withdrawal of the Russian army;
- The Battle of Tsushima at the end of May, which ended with the destruction of the Russian Baltic squadron.
Despite the fact that the course of events in this war was in the best possible way in favor of Japan, it was forced to enter into peace negotiations. This was due to the fact that the country's economy was very depleted by military events. On August 9, a peace conference between the participants in the war began in Portsmouth.
Reasons for Russia's defeat in the war
Despite the fact that the conclusion of the peace treaty determined to some extent the situation in the Kuril Islands, the dispute between Russia and Japan did not end. This caused a significant number of protests in Tokyo, but the consequences of the war were very noticeable for the country.
During this conflict, the Russian Pacific Fleet was almost completely destroyed, and more than 100 thousand of its soldiers were killed. The expansion of the Russian state to the East also stopped. The results of the war were indisputable evidence of how weak the tsarist policy was.
This was one of the main reasons for revolutionary actions in 1905-1907.
The most important reasons for Russia's defeat in the war of 1904-1905.
- Presence of diplomatic isolation Russian Empire.
- The country's troops are absolutely unprepared to carry out military operations in difficult situations.
- The shameless betrayal of domestic stakeholders and the lack of talent of the majority of Russian generals.
- High level of development and preparedness of the military and economic spheres of Japan.
Until our time, the unresolved Kuril issue poses a great danger. After the Second World War, a peace treaty was never signed as a result of it. The Russian people, like the population of the Kuril Islands, have absolutely no benefit from this dispute. Moreover, this state of affairs contributes to the generation of hostility between countries. It is the speedy resolution of such a diplomatic issue as the problem of the Kuril Islands that is the key to good neighborly relations between Russia and Japan.
Disputes about the four South Kuril Islands currently owned by Russian Federation, have been going on for quite some time. This land as a result of the signed different time agreements and wars changed hands several times. Currently, these islands are the cause of an unresolved territorial dispute between Russia and Japan.
Discovery of the islands
The issue of the discovery of the Kuril Islands is controversial. According to the Japanese side, the Japanese were the first to set foot on the islands in 1644. A map of that time with the designations “Kunashiri”, “Etorofu” and others marked on it is carefully preserved in the National Museum of Japanese History. And Russian pioneers, the Japanese believe, first came to the Kuril ridge only during the time of Tsar Peter I, in 1711, and on the Russian map of 1721 these islands are called “Japanese Islands”.
But in reality the situation is different: firstly, the Japanese received the first information about the Kuril Islands (from the Ainu language - “kuru” means “a person who came from nowhere”) from the local Ainu residents (the oldest non-Japanese population of the Kuril Islands and the Japanese Islands) during an expedition to Hokkaido in 1635. Moreover, the Japanese did not reach the Kuril lands themselves due to constant conflicts with the local population.
It should be noted that the Ainu were hostile to the Japanese, and initially treated the Russians well, considering them their “brothers”, due to the similarity in appearance and methods of communication between the Russians and small nations.
Secondly, the Kuril Islands were discovered by the Dutch expedition of Maarten Gerritsen de Vries (Fries) in 1643, the Dutch were looking for the so-called. "Golden Lands" The Dutch did not like the lands, and they sold their detailed description and map to the Japanese. It was on the basis of Dutch data that the Japanese compiled their maps.
Thirdly, the Japanese at that time did not control not only the Kuril Islands, but even Hokkaido; only their stronghold was in its southern part. The Japanese began conquering the island at the beginning of the 17th century, and the fight against the Ainu continued for two centuries. That is, if the Russians were interested in expansion, then Hokkaido could become a Russian island. This was made easier by the good attitude of the Ainu towards the Russians and their hostility towards the Japanese. There are also records of this fact. The Japanese state of that time did not officially consider itself the sovereign of not only Sakhalin and the Kuril lands, but also Hokkaido (Matsumae) - this was confirmed in a circular by the head of the Japanese government, Matsudaira, during Russian-Japanese negotiations on the border and trade in 1772.
Fourthly, Russian explorers visited the islands before the Japanese. In the Russian state, the first mention of the Kuril lands dates back to 1646, when Nekhoroshko Ivanovich Kolobov gave a report to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich about the campaigns of Ivan Yuryevich Moskvitin and spoke about the bearded Ainu inhabiting the Kuril Islands. In addition, Dutch, Scandinavian and German medieval chronicles and maps report the first Russian settlements in the Kuril Islands at that time. The first reports about the Kuril lands and their inhabitants reached the Russians in the middle of the 17th century.
In 1697, during the expedition of Vladimir Atlasov to Kamchatka, new information about the islands appeared; the Russians explored the islands as far as Simushir (island middle group Great ridge of the Kuril Islands).
XVIII century
Peter I knew about the Kuril Islands; in 1719, the tsar sent a secret expedition to Kamchatka under the leadership of Ivan Mikhailovich Evreinov and Fyodor Fedorovich Luzhin. Marine surveyor Evreinov and surveyor-cartographer Luzhin had to determine whether there was a strait between Asia and America. The expedition reached the island of Simushir in the south and brought local residents and rulers to swear allegiance to the Russian state.
In 1738-1739, the navigator Martyn Petrovich Shpanberg (Danish by origin) walked along the entire Kuril ridge, put all the islands he encountered on the map, including the entire Lesser Kuril ridge (these are 6 large and a number of small islands that are separated from the Great Kuril ridge in the South -Kuril Strait). He explored the lands as far as Hokkaido (Matsumaya), bringing the local Ainu rulers to swear allegiance to the Russian state.
Subsequently, the Russians avoided voyages to the southern islands and developed the northern territories. Unfortunately, at this time, abuses against the Ainu were noted not only by the Japanese, but also by the Russians.
In 1771, the Lesser Kuril Ridge was removed from Russia and came under the protectorate of Japan. Russian authorities To rectify the situation, the nobleman Antipin and the translator Shabalin were sent. They were able to persuade the Ainu to restore Russian citizenship. In 1778-1779, Russian envoys brought more than 1.5 thousand people from Iturup, Kunashir and even Hokkaido into citizenship. In 1779, Catherine II freed those who had accepted Russian citizenship from all taxes.
In 1787, the “Extensive Land Description of the Russian State...” contained a list of the Kuril Islands up to Hokkaido-Matsumaya, the status of which had not yet been determined. Although the Russians did not control the lands south of Urup Island, the Japanese were active there.
In 1799, by decree of seii-taishogun Tokugawa Ienari, he headed the Tokugawa Shogunate, two outposts were built on Kunashir and Iturup, and permanent garrisons were placed there. Thus, the Japanese secured the status of these territories within Japan by military means.
Satellite image of the Lesser Kuril Ridge
Agreements
In 1845, the Empire of Japan unilaterally declared its power over all of Sakhalin and the Kuril ridge. This naturally caused a strong negative reaction from Russian Emperor Nicholas I. But the Russian Empire did not have time to take action; events prevented Crimean War. Therefore, it was decided to make concessions and not bring matters to war.
On February 7, 1855, the first diplomatic agreement was concluded between Russia and Japan - Treaty of Shimoda. It was signed by Vice Admiral E.V. Putyatin and Toshiakira Kawaji. According to Article 9 of the treaty, “permanent peace and sincere friendship between Russia and Japan” were established. Japan ceded the islands from Iturup and to the south, Sakhalin was declared a joint, indivisible possession. Russians in Japan received consular jurisdiction, Russian ships received the right to enter the ports of Shimoda, Hakodate, and Nagasaki. The Russian Empire received most favored nation treatment in trade with Japan and received the right to open consulates in ports open to Russians. That is, in general, especially considering the difficult international situation Russia, the agreement can be assessed positively. Since 1981, the Japanese have celebrated the day of signing the Shimoda Treaty as “Northern Territories Day.”
It should be noted that in fact, the Japanese received the right to the “Northern Territories” only for “permanent peace and sincere friendship between Japan and Russia,” most favored nation treatment in trade relations. Their further actions de facto canceled this agreement.
Initially, the provision of the Shimoda Treaty on joint ownership of Sakhalin Island was more beneficial for the Russian Empire, which was actively colonizing this territory. The Japanese Empire did not have a good navy, so at that time it did not have such an opportunity. But later the Japanese began to intensively populate the territory of Sakhalin, and the question of its ownership began to become increasingly controversial and acute. The contradictions between Russia and Japan were resolved by signing the St. Petersburg Treaty.
St. Petersburg Treaty. It was signed in the capital of the Russian Empire on April 25 (May 7), 1875. Under this agreement, the Empire of Japan transferred Sakhalin to Russia as full ownership, and in exchange received all the islands of the Kuril chain.
St. Petersburg Treaty of 1875 (Japanese Foreign Ministry Archives).
As a result of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 and Treaty of Portsmouth On August 23 (September 5), 1905, the Russian Empire, according to Article 9 of the agreement, ceded southern Sakhalin to Japan, south of 50 degrees north latitude. Article 12 contained an agreement to conclude a convention on Japanese fishing along the Russian shores of the Japanese, Okhotsk and Bering Seas.
After the collapse of the Russian Empire and the beginning foreign intervention The Japanese occupied Northern Sakhalin and participated in the occupation of the Far East. When the Bolshevik Party won the Civil War, Japan did not want to recognize the USSR for a long time. Only after the Soviet authorities canceled the status of the Japanese consulate in Vladivostok in 1924 and in the same year the USSR was recognized by Great Britain, France and China, the Japanese authorities decided to normalize relations with Moscow.
Beijing Treaty. On February 3, 1924, official negotiations between the USSR and Japan began in Beijing. Only on January 20, 1925, the Soviet-Japanese convention on the basic principles of relations between countries was signed. The Japanese pledged to withdraw their forces from the territory of Northern Sakhalin by May 15, 1925. The declaration of the USSR government, which was annexed to the convention, emphasized that soviet government does not share with former government The Russian Empire was politically responsible for the signing of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty of 1905. In addition, the convention enshrined the agreement of the parties that all agreements, treaties and conventions concluded between Russia and Japan before November 7, 1917, except for the Portsmouth Peace Treaty, should be revised.
In general, the USSR made great concessions: in particular, Japanese citizens, companies and associations were granted the rights to exploit natural raw materials throughout the Soviet Union. On July 22, 1925, a contract was signed to grant the Japanese Empire a coal concession, and on December 14, 1925, an oil concession in Northern Sakhalin. Moscow agreed to this agreement in order to stabilize the situation in the Russian Far East, since the Japanese supported the White Guards outside the USSR. But in the end, the Japanese began to systematically violate the convention and create conflict situations.
During the Soviet-Japanese negotiations that took place in the spring of 1941 regarding the conclusion of a neutrality treaty, the Soviet side raised the issue of liquidating Japan's concessions in Northern Sakhalin. The Japanese gave their written consent to this, but delayed the implementation of the agreement for 3 years. Only when the USSR began to gain the upper hand over the Third Reich did the Japanese government implement the agreement that had been given earlier. Thus, on March 30, 1944, a Protocol was signed in Moscow on the destruction of Japanese oil and coal concessions in Northern Sakhalin and the transfer of all Japanese concession property to the Soviet Union.
February 11, 1945 at the Yalta conference three great powers - the Soviet Union, the United States, Great Britain - reached a verbal agreement on the USSR's entry into the war with the Japanese Empire on the terms of the return of South Sakhalin and the Kuril ridge to it after the end of World War II.
In the Potsdam Declaration dated July 26, 1945, it was stated that Japanese sovereignty would be limited only to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and other smaller islands, which would be designated by the victorious countries. The Kuril Islands were not mentioned.
After the defeat of Japan, on January 29, 1946, Memorandum No. 677 of the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Powers, American General Douglas MacArthur, excluded the Chishima Islands (Kuril Islands), the Habomadze group of islands (Habomai) and the Sikotan Island (Shikotan) from Japanese territory.
According to San Francisco Peace Treaty dated September 8, 1951, the Japanese side renounced all rights to South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. But the Japanese claim that Iturup, Shikotan, Kunashir and Habomai (islands of the Lesser Kuril Islands) were not part of the Chishima Islands (Kuril Islands) and they did not abandon them.
Negotiations in Portsmouth (1905) - from left to right: from the Russian side (far part of the table) - Planson, Nabokov, Witte, Rosen, Korostovets.
Further agreements
Joint Declaration. On October 19, 1956, the Soviet Union and Japan adopted a Joint Declaration. The document ended the state of war between the countries and restored diplomatic relations, and also spoke of Moscow’s consent to the transfer of the islands of Habomai and Shikotan to the Japanese side. But they were supposed to be handed over only after the signing of a peace treaty. However, later Japan was forced to refuse to sign a peace treaty with the USSR. The United States threatened not to give up Okinawa and the entire Ryukyu Archipelago to the Japanese if they renounced their claims to the other islands of the Lesser Kuril chain.
After Tokyo signed the Cooperation and Security Treaty with Washington in January 1960, extending the American military presence on the Japanese Islands, Moscow announced that it refused to consider the issue of transferring the islands to the Japanese side. The statement was justified by the security issue of the USSR and China.
In 1993 it was signed Tokyo Declaration about Russian-Japanese relations. It stated that the Russian Federation is the legal successor of the USSR and recognizes the 1956 agreement. Moscow expressed its readiness to begin negotiations regarding Japan's territorial claims. In Tokyo this was assessed as a sign of impending victory.
In 2004, the head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, made a statement that Moscow recognizes the 1956 Declaration and is ready to negotiate a peace treaty based on it. In 2004-2005, this position was confirmed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But the Japanese insisted on the transfer of 4 islands, so the issue was not resolved. Moreover, the Japanese gradually increased their pressure; for example, in 2009, the head of the Japanese government at a government meeting called the Lesser Kuril Ridge “illegally occupied territories.” In 2010 and early 2011, the Japanese became so excited that some military experts began to talk about the possibility of a new Russian-Japanese war. Only the spring natural disaster - the consequences of a tsunami and a terrible earthquake, the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant - cooled Japan's ardor.
As a result, the loud statements of the Japanese led to Moscow declaring that the islands are the territory of the Russian Federation on legally following the results of the Second World War, this is enshrined in the UN Charter. And Russian sovereignty over the Kuril Islands, which has the appropriate international legal confirmation, is beyond doubt. Plans were also announced to develop the islands' economy and strengthen Russia's military presence there.
Strategic importance of the islands
Economic factor. The islands are economically underdeveloped, but they have deposits of valuable and rare earth metals - gold, silver, rhenium, titanium. The waters are rich in biological resources; the seas that wash the shores of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands are among the most productive areas of the World Ocean. The shelves, where hydrocarbon deposits are found, are also of great importance.
Political factor. The cession of the islands will sharply lower Russia’s status in the world, and there will be a legal opportunity to review other results of the Second World War. For example, they may demand that the Kaliningrad region be given to Germany or part of Karelia to Finland.
Military factor. The transfer of the islands of the South Kuril ridge will provide the naval forces of Japan and the United States with free access to the Sea of Okhotsk. It will allow our potential adversaries to exercise control over strategically important strait zones, which will sharply worsen the deployment capabilities of the Russian Pacific Fleet, including nuclear submarines with intercontinental ballistic missiles. This will be a strong blow to the military security of the Russian Federation.
One of the first documents regulating Russian-Japanese relations was the Treaty of Shimoda, signed on January 26, 1855. According to the second article of the treatise, the border was established between the islands of Urup and Iturup - that is, all four now islands that Japan claims today were recognized as the possession of Japan.
Since 1981, the day of the conclusion of the Shimoda Treaty in Japan has been celebrated as “Northern Territories Day”. Another thing is that, relying on the Shimoda Treaty as one of the fundamental documents, Japan forgets about one important point. In 1904, Japan, having attacked the Russian squadron in Port Arthur and unleashed the Russo-Japanese War, itself violated the terms of the treaty, which provided for friendship and good neighborly relations between states.
The Shimoda Treaty did not determine the ownership of Sakhalin, where both Russian and Japanese settlements were located, and by the mid-70s a solution to this issue was ripe. The St. Petersburg Treaty was signed, which was assessed ambiguously by both sides. Under the terms of the agreement, all the Kuril Islands were now completely transferred to Japan, and Russia received full control over Sakhalin.
Then based on the results Russo-Japanese War, according to the Treaty of Portsmouth, the southern part of Sakhalin up to the 50th parallel went to Japan.
In 1925, a Soviet-Japanese convention was signed in Beijing, which generally confirmed the terms of the Portsmouth Treaty. As you know, the late 30s and early 40s were extremely tense in Soviet-Japanese relations and were associated with a series of military conflicts of varying scales.
The situation began to change by 1945, when the Axis powers began to suffer heavy defeats and the prospect of losing World War II became increasingly clear. Against this background, the question of the post-war world order arose. Thus, according to the terms of the Yalta Conference, the USSR pledged to enter the war against Japan, and Southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands were transferred to the Soviet Union.
True, at the same time the Japanese leadership was ready to voluntarily cede these territories in exchange for the neutrality of the USSR and the supply of Soviet oil. The USSR did not take such a very slippery step. The defeat of Japan by that time was not a quick matter, but it was still a matter of time. And most importantly, by avoiding decisive action, the Soviet Union would actually be handing the situation in the Far East into the hands of the United States and its allies.
By the way, this also applies to events Soviet-Japanese War and directly the Kuril landing operation, which was not initially prepared. When it became known about the preparations for the landing of American troops on the Kuril Islands, in urgently The Kuril landing operation was prepared within 24 hours. Fierce fighting in August 1945 ended with the surrender of the Japanese garrisons in the Kuril Islands.
Fortunately, the Japanese command did not know the real number of Soviet paratroopers and, without fully using their overwhelming numerical superiority, capitulated. At the same time, the Yuzhno-Sakhalin offensive operation was carried out. Thus, at the cost of considerable losses, Southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands became part of the USSR.
TASS DOSSIER. On December 15, 2016, the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Japan begins. It is expected that one of the topics during his negotiations with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be the issue of ownership of the Kuril Islands.
Currently, Japan is making territorial claims to the Russian islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and a group of small islands of the Lesser Kuril chain (Japanese name Habomai).
The editors of TASS-DOSSIER have prepared material about the history of this problem and attempts to solve it.
Background
The Kuril Archipelago is a chain of islands between Kamchatka and the Japanese island of Hokkaido. It is formed by two ridges. The largest of the islands of the Great Kuril Ridge are Iturup, Paramushir, Kunashir. The largest island of the Lesser Kuril ridge is Shikotan.
The islands were originally inhabited by Ainu tribes. The first information about the Kuril Islands was obtained by the Japanese during the expedition of 1635-1637. In 1643 they were surveyed by the Dutch (led by Martin de Vries). The first Russian expedition (led by V.V. Atlasov) reached the northern part of the Kuril Islands in 1697. In 1786, by decree of Catherine II, the Kuril Archipelago was included in the Russian Empire.
On February 7, 1855, Japan and Russia signed the Treaty of Shimoda, according to which Iturup, Kunashir and the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge were transferred to Japan, and the rest of the Kuril Islands were recognized as Russian. Sakhalin was declared a joint possession - an "undivided" territory. However, some unresolved issues about the status of Sakhalin led to conflicts between Russian and Japanese merchants and sailors. The contradictions between the parties were resolved in 1875 with the signing of the St. Petersburg Treaty on the Exchange of Territories. In accordance with it, Russia transferred all the Kuril Islands to Japan, and Japan renounced its claims to Sakhalin.
On September 5, 1905, as a result of the Russo-Japanese War, the Portsmouth Peace Treaty was signed, according to which part of Sakhalin south of the 50th parallel came into the possession of Japan.
Return of the islands
At the final stage of World War II, during the Yalta Conference in February 1945, the USSR named the return of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands among the conditions for the start of hostilities against Japan. This decision was enshrined in the Yalta Agreement between the USSR, the USA and Great Britain of February 11, 1945 (“Crimean Agreement of the Three Great Powers on Far East Issues”). On August 9, 1945, the USSR entered the war against Japan. From August 18 to September 1, 1945 Soviet troops carried out the Kuril landing operation, which led to the surrender of the Japanese garrisons on the archipelago.
On September 2, 1945, Japan signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender, accepting the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. According to the document, Japanese sovereignty was limited to the islands of Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Hokkaido, as well as less large islands Japanese archipelago.
On January 29, 1946, the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in Japan, American General Douglas MacArthur, notified the Japanese government of the exclusion of the Kuril Islands from the country's territory. February 2, 1946 by decree of the Presidium Supreme Council USSR The Kuril Islands were included in the USSR.
According to the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951, concluded between the countries anti-Hitler coalition and Japan, Tokyo renounced all rights, title and claims to the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. However, the Soviet delegation did not sign this document, since it did not stipulate the issue of the withdrawal of occupation forces from Japanese territory. In addition, the agreement did not specify which islands of the Kuril archipelago were discussed and in whose favor Japan was abandoning them.
This became the main reason for the existing territorial problem, which is still the main obstacle to concluding a peace treaty between Russia and Japan.
The essence of the disagreement
The principled position of the USSR and Russia was and is that “the belonging of the southern Kuril Islands (Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai) to the Russian Federation is based on the generally accepted results of the Second World War and the unshakable post-war international legal framework, including the UN Charter. Thus, Russian sovereignty over them has the appropriate international legal form and is not subject to doubt" (statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry dated February 7, 2015).
Japan, citing the Shimoda Treaty of 1855, claims that Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and a number of small islands never belonged to the Russian Empire and considers their inclusion in the USSR illegal. In addition, according to the Japanese side, these islands are not part of the Kuril archipelago and therefore they do not fall under the term “Kuril Islands”, which was used in the San Francisco Treaty of 1951. Currently, in Japanese political terminology, the disputed islands are usually called " northern territories."
Declaration of 1956
In 1956, the USSR and Japan concluded a Joint Declaration, which formally declared the end of the war and restored bilateral diplomatic relations. In it, the USSR agreed to transfer the island of Shikotan and the uninhabited islands to Japan (reserving Iturup and Kunashir) after concluding a full-fledged peace treaty. The declaration was ratified by the parliaments of two states.
However, in 1960, the Japanese government agreed to sign a security treaty with the United States, which provided for the maintenance of the American military presence on Japanese territory. In response, the USSR annulled the obligations taken in 1956. At the same time, the Soviet Union stipulated the transfer of the islands by Japan fulfilling two conditions - the signing of a peace treaty and the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country's territory.
Until the early 1990s. the Soviet side did not mention the 1956 declaration, although Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka tried to return to discussing it during a visit to Moscow in 1973 (the first Soviet-Japanese summit).
Intensification of dialogue in the 1990s.
The situation began to change with the beginning of perestroika in the 1980s, the USSR recognized the existence of a territorial problem. Following the visit of USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev to Japan in April 1991, the joint communiqué included a provision on the parties’ intention to continue negotiations on the normalization of relations and a peaceful settlement, including territorial issues.
The existence of a territorial problem was also confirmed in the Tokyo Declaration, signed following negotiations between Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa in October 1993. The document recorded the parties’ desire to resolve the issue of the territorial ownership of the disputed islands.
In the Moscow Declaration (November 1998), President Yeltsin and Premier Keizo Obuchi "reaffirmed their determination to make every effort to conclude a peace treaty by the year 2000." Then the Russian side for the first time expressed the opinion that it was necessary to create conditions and a favorable atmosphere for “joint economic and other activities” in the South Kuril Islands without prejudice to the legal positions of both parties.
Modern stage
In 2008, Japanese politicians began to introduce the term “illegally occupied northern territories” in relation to the islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai. In June 2009, the Japanese Diet adopted amendments to the Law on Special Measures to Promote the Solution of the “Northern Territories Problem,” according to which Japanese government agencies are ordered to make every effort to return the “ancestral lands of Japan” as quickly as possible.
Visits to the islands by senior Russian officials cause a negative reaction in Tokyo (Dmitry Medvedev visited the islands in 2010 as president, in 2012 and 2015 as chairman of the government; the first two times he was in Kunashir, the last in Iturup). Japanese leaders periodically make “inspections of the northern territories” from an airplane or boat (the first such inspection was made by Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki in 1981).
The territorial issue is regularly discussed at Russian-Japanese negotiations. It was raised especially often by the administration of Shinzo Abe, who again took the post of Prime Minister in 2012. However, it has still not been possible to finally bring the positions closer together.
In March 2012, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that on the territorial issue it is necessary to “achieve an acceptable compromise or something like “hikiwake” (“draw”, a term from judo). In May 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister -Japanese Minister Shinzo Abe agreed on the need to develop dialogue in a “constructive manner, without emotional outbursts or public polemics” and agreed on a “new approach” to solving bilateral problems, but the details of the agreements were not reported.
