Japan Says Islands Controlled by Russia are Rightfully Japanese

Yes Japan, yes. This is exactly the right time to push this issue.

Territorial disputes are a constant throughout history, but I don’t think Russia is going to give back islands that were internationally recognized as Russian territory nearly a century ago.

These islands are not useful. You have to wonder if Japan bringing this up right now has anything to do with the fact that the Brandon Administration is putting so much pressure on Japan. They’ve been sending nonstop delegations to demand Japan go to war to protect Taiwanese independence.

Seems related.

RT:

Tokyo will not give up its claim that Russia’s southern Kuril Islands in the Pacific Ocean are rightfully Japanese, and wants to reach a deal with Moscow to resolve the dispute, its foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference, Yoshimasa Hayashi responded to claims by his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that Tokyo is refusing to recognize the results of the Second World War, when the Soviet Union took control of the Kuril Islands.

“Our sovereignty extends to the four Northern Islands,” Hayashi said. “We intend to continue persistent negotiations on the basis of our basic position, which is the desire to sign a peace treaty after the territorial issue is resolved.”

The Northern Islands is the name given by Japan to the four islands at the bottom of the Kuril chain. The landmasses, named Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and Habomai, were all part of Japan before World War Two.

After the conflict finished, the Soviet Union and Japan did not sign a peace treaty, with the dispute over their sovereignty being the main sticking point. The whole island chain has been in Moscow’s possession ever since.

I doubt many humans live there. They’re just volcanic rocks sticking out of the water.

Wikipedia says there are 20,000 Russians living there, but this seems like an exaggeration. The only reason anyone would be there would be for fishing or some kind of research outpost.

Russia would probably sell them back the islands under normal circumstances.

These are of course not normal circumstances.