The Kuril Islands Dispute

In this article, Garrison Gove will explain the Kuril Islands dispute between Japan and Russia.

Japan VS russia: kuril islands dispute

By Garrison Gove

The Kuril Islands are a volcanic archipelago consisting of 56 islands, as well as many minor rocks. The islands stretch from Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula to Japan’s Hokkaido Island, and are home to about 20,000 people. Although the islands are administered under Russia’s Sakhalin Oblast, the four southernmost islands are claimed by Japan as part of the Hokkaido Prefecture.

A map of the Kuril Islands showing the four islands claimed by Japan. Photo credit: BBC News 

The Kuril Islands were originally inhabited by the Ainu people, who also inhabited the Japanese island of Hokkaido and the Russian island of Sakhalin. The islands were divided between the two countries following the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Russian Empire and Japan in 1885. In the 1875 Treaty of St. Petersburg, the entirety of the Kuril Islands ceded to Japan. Near the end of World War II, the Soviet Union was promised ownership of the Kurils if it joined the Allies against Japan. Following the war's end, the Soviet Union retook control of the islands and deported all of their Japanese inhabitants in 1947. In the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951, the Allies and Japan agreed on Japan relinquishing the islands while refusing to recognize Soviet sovereignty over them. Relations between the USSR and Japan were restored following the Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration in 1956. The Soviet Union offered to relinquish the two smallest islands, but the offer was rejected by Japan, according to TRTWorld. 

Japan claims that the four southernmost islands-- Iturup, Kunashir, Sihkotan and Habomai-- are not part of the Kuril Islands, and are therefore illegally occupied by Russia. Nevertheless, despite their remote location and low population, the Kuril Islands hold significant strategic and economic significance for Russia. The waters surrounding the Kurils contain an estimated $4 billion per year in potential fisheries value. Deepwater channels between the islands allow Russian submarines access to the Pacific Ocean. According to Investment Monitor, there is also a  possibility that Japan would allow the U.S. military to construct bases on the islands if they were returned to Japan. Furthermore, the prospect of returning territory to a former ally of Nazi Germany, which was responsible for the deaths of more than 20 million Russians, is no doubt off the table for most Russians.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in 2016. Photo credit: TRTWorld 

Despite the tension, both sides have expressed desire for the issue to be resolved. “It’s extremely regrettable that 76 years after the war, the issue of the Northern Territories hasn’t been resolved and a peace treaty between Japan and Russia hasn’t been agreed upon," said Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishda. Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed, stating  “we believe that the absence of a peace treaty in our relations is absurd." According to Radio Free Europe, a potential solution for the dispute is for Japan to receive Shikotan and Habomai islands, while withdrawing claims to the larger, more militarized islands of Kunashir and Etorofu. In addition, Japan would gain fishing rights near the two larger islands and Japanese citizens would be allowed to visit and do business on the disputed islands. Sadly, as Japan has supported Ukraine during the Russian invasion and become increasingly more aligned with NATO, a present resolution to the conflict seems very unlikely. 

Sources: