Japan marks 70 years of Soviet-era declaration, vows to keep seeking island deal with Russia
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The gist
Japan vowed to keep seeking a solution with Russia on disputed islands, 70 years after a 1956 declaration.
The territorial row has blocked a post-WWII peace treaty, with talks frozen since 2022.
Background
The dispute centers on four islands — Shikotan, the Habomai islet group, Kunashiri and Etorofu — that Tokyo says the Soviet Union seized illegally soon after Japan's surrender in August 1945, while Moscow argues it did so legitimately. The row has kept the two countries from signing a peace treaty after World War II. In 1956 the two sides normalized relations under a joint declaration that stipulated the return of Shikotan and the Habomai group following a peace treaty. Talks were suspended in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and prospects for resuming negotiations remain dim as ties have deteriorated over Japan's participation in sanctions against Moscow.
How it unfolded
- August 1945Tokyo claims the Soviet Union seized the disputed islands illegally soon after Japan's surrender.
- 1956Japan and the then-Soviet Union normalized diplomatic relations under a joint declaration stipulating the return, following a peace treaty, of Shikotan and the Habomai islet group.
- 2018Japan and Russia agreed to advance negotiations based on the joint declaration.
- 2022Talks were suspended after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
- Oct 19, 2026The Japanese government vowed to continue seeking a solution with Russia on the territorial dispute as the countries mark 70 years since the joint declaration.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said that even amid difficult Japan-Russia relations, Tokyo will continue necessary communication with the Russian side and work toward breaking the current deadlock.
- Dispute
- Tokyo claims the Soviet Union seized the islands illegally soon after Japan's surrender in August 1945, while Moscow argues it did so legitimately.