|
Japan Rejects Putinâs Claims on Kuril Islands
Japan has rejected Russia President Vladimir Putinâs insistence on sovereignty over the Kuril Islands, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Wednesday.The territory, known as the Northern Territories in Japan, has been disputed between the two sides for the past 60 years. In a nationwide phone-in on Tuesday, Putin ruled out any negotiations with Tokyo over the islands, which lie between Russiaâs Kamchatka peninsula and the Japanese island of Hokkaido. "They are under the sovereignty of the Russian Federation," he said. "This is reinforced by international law. And on this issue we are not ready to discuss anything." In response, Japanâs Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said the islands belongs to Japan. "From the objective standpoint, the four northern islands belong to Japan, and we will keep claiming our sovereignty over them," he said. The Soviet army seized the islands after Japanâs capitulation in World War II. The dispute over the territory has kept Moscow and Tokyo from signing a peace treaty formally ending hostilities during the 1939-45 conflict. Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-09-28 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=130805 |