The Prime Minister of Japan announced the continuation of the course towards concluding a peace treaty with Russia

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in his keynote speech in parliament, said that the government intends to continue to pursue the course of concluding a peace treaty with Russia despite the difficult relations.

“Relations with Russia are in a difficult state, but we will continue to pursue the course of resolving the territorial problem and concluding a peace treaty,” he said (quote according to RIA Novosti.

Russia and Japan do not have a peace treaty following World War II due to the protracted dispute over the South Kuril Islands. The state of war between the two countries was officially ended in 1956 with the Moscow Declaration, after which the USSR and Japan resumed diplomatic relations. According to Tokyo’s position, Russia must transfer to Japan the four southern islands of the Kuril chain (Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, Habomai Islands). Moscow recognizes the 1956 USSR declaration, which talks about the possibility of transferring two islands (Habomai and Shikotan) after the conclusion of a peace treaty.

In February, Kishida spoke about the need to conclude a peace treaty and resolve the territorial dispute with Russia. At the same time, he emphasized that Tokyo has not changed its position on the issue of ownership of the islands included in the southern part of the Kuril Islands. On February 10, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the issue of a peace treaty with Japan closed, emphasizing the impossibility of negotiations due to the “openly unfriendly” position of Tokyo, which has joined anti-Russian sanctions.