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          Japanese PM Pledges to Solve Territorial Dispute with Russia

   by Steve Herman

   Territorial disputes involving Japan and its neighbors China and South
   Korea have strained relations in the past year, and now yet another
   territorial dispute with Russia is back in the spotlight. This one
   involves colonial Japanese land seized by the Soviet Red Army in the
   closing days of World War II.
   The Japanese prime minister, who has taken an assertive stance on
   disputed territories since returning to office in late December,
   pledged Thursday to resolve a lingering islands dispute with Russia.
   The decades-old impasse has meant the two countries have technically
   remained in a state of war since 1945.
   Japan claims four islands in the northwestern Pacific. The closest is
   just several kilometers from the northernmost point of Hokkaido (Japan)
   and some 1,000 kilometers to the south of Kamchatka peninsula on the
   Russian mainland.
   Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke briefly to thousands of people at an
   annual rally in Tokyo dedicated to the return of the islands.
   Abe says negotiations with Moscow are ongoing with the aim of settling
   the ownership question so a peace treaty can be signed with Russia. He
   expresses "strong hope" progress will be made and the dispute can
   finally be resolved.
   The Soviet military invaded the southern part of Sakhalin and the Kuril
   islands within days of declaring war against Japan in August of 1945.
   Japan surrendered on August 15, bringing to an end the Second World
   War. The Japanese civilians living on the islands were expelled.
   Japan has since contended that Soviet troops continued the August 1945
   offensive against its forces even after the Imperial Japanese Army
   surrendered.
   Japan says the unresolved territorial issue still prevents it from
   concluding a peace treaty with Russia.
   Japan had been awarded a portion of Sakhalin as part of the Treaty of
   Portsmouth in 1905 after Japanese forces won a seven-month war with
   Russia.
   Japan began colonizing the Kuril islands in the late 19th century. The
   ongoing dispute involves four of the chain's 18 islands.
   The largest, Shikotan, measures 225 square kilometers.
   Russia has been strengthening its military presence in the Kurils in
   recent years and visits by Russian leaders to the disputed islands have
   prompted strong criticism from Tokyo.
   Moscow considers the islands claimed by Japan to be an integral part of
   the Russian Federation.
   The Russians have proposed joint use of the disputed territory, which
   has potentially lucrative onshore and offshore mineral resources.
   Leaders of both countries, in recent years, have jointly expressed a
   desire to solve the dispute through talks.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/japanese-pm-pledges-to-solve-territor
   ial-dispute-with-russia/1598834.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/japanese-pm-pledges-to-solve-territorial-dispute-with-russia/1598834.html