Russia has terminated the simplified regime for visiting the Kuril Islands for the Japanese

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a government decree to terminate the agreement with Japan on a simplified regime for citizens of the country to visit the Kuril Islands. Document published on the portal of legal information.

“In accordance with Article 37 of the federal law “On International Treaties of the Russian Federation”, to terminate the agreement in the form of an exchange of letters between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan on the procedure for mutual trips of October 14, 1991 and the agreement between the government of the Russian Federation and the government of Japan on organization of the most facilitated visit to the islands of Kunashir, Iturup and the islands of the Lesser Kuril ridge (Sakhalin region) by Japanese citizens – former residents of the islands and members of their families (in the form of an exchange of notes) dated September 2, 1999, ”the document says.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been instructed to notify Japan of the decision.

June 7, 2022 Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova statedthat Russia is suspending the implementation of the intergovernmental agreement with Japan on cooperation in the field of harvesting marine living resources of 1998. This agreement allowed Japanese fishing vessels to fish for living resources in a sea area bounded by straight geodetic lines consistently connecting points with coordinates near the islands of Iturup, Kunashir , Shikotan and Habomai.

At the end of March, Russia announced the termination of negotiations with Japan on the issue of concluding a peace treaty due to unilateral sanctions imposed by Tokyo against the background of the military operation of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine. According to the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian side also stops visa-free trips of Japanese citizens to the Kuril Islands.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also decided to withdraw from the dialogue with Japan on establishing joint economic activities in the South Kuriles and blocking the extension of Japan’s status as a partner of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC) in the sectoral dialogue.