What is the Northern Territories?
The northern territories are the four northern island formations, which consist of the Habomai islands, as well as the islands of Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup. Habomai is a collection of small islands and rock islands. The closest of them to the island of Hokkaido, Kaigara Island (Signal Island) is located only 3.7 km from Cape Nosappu near the city of Nemuro, as they say, at an “arm’s length” distance, and Kunashir Island is simply visible to the naked eye from the Shiretoko Peninsula and from the shore of Nemuro Bay, located on the island of Hokkaido.
“Northern Territories” is a term that was introduced into use at the end of the Second World War by the Japanese side, which put forward a demand for Russia to return these four northern island formations, which are the ancestral territories of Japan.
That is why the Russian side for a long time put this phrase in quotation marks or prefixed it with the definition “so-called.”
The chain of islands south of Kamchatka to the mentioned Northern Territories is called the Tishima Islands (Kuril Islands) - in English “Kuril Islands”.
The given name “Northern Territories”, their definition and limits are not only a matter of word usage or a geographical term, but have an extremely important political meaning. This is explained by the fact that in relations between Japan and Russia there was no general definition of the boundaries of the Kuril Islands, and this circumstance complicates the discussion on the territorial conflict between Japan and Russia and its resolution on a common basis.
When the Soviet Army carried out the illegal occupation at the end of August - beginning of September 1945, about 17 thousand Japanese lived on the islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup. Three years later, every single one of them was forcibly deported to the Japanese metropolis. After I. Stalin forcibly included these territories into the Soviet Union, Russians and other citizens of the USSR, attracted by more favorable working conditions, voluntarily or forcibly moved to the mentioned islands. Following the 1953 tsunami caused by an offshore earthquake in the Tokachi area, there was no longer a permanent population on the Habomai Islands.
Furukamappu (Yuzhno-Kurilsk), which is the center of Kunashir Island, where the administration of the Yuzhno-Kurilsky district is located Sakhalin region, during the period of Japanese rule, was a village stretching along the sea coast. After the tsunami, this village and many public utilities were rebuilt at a level approximately 30 m higher than the previous one and were called the “new area”. After the 1994 earthquake in the open sea east of Hokkaido caused enormous damage to new buildings, residential and other buildings were again built on a new site.
In 1978–1979, after the conclusion of the Sino-Japanese Peace and Friendship Treaty, Soviet troops of up to one division were again stationed on the islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup. However, since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the number of Russian troops has been reduced, and currently they most likely number less than 3 thousand people, while the civilian population is about 16 thousand people.
Where are the Northern Territories?
The islands of Habomai and Shikotan, which are part of the Northern Territories, stretch in a chain to the northeast from Cape Nosappu of the Nemuro Peninsula, located on the eastern edge of the island of Hokkaido, forming a continuation of this cape. Kunashir Island is wedged between the Nemuro Peninsula and the Shiretoko Peninsula, which seem to embrace it on both sides, and Iturup Island stretches northeast of this island and is located at the southern tip of the island arc, which extends in the ocean north to the Russian-owned Kamchatka Peninsula.
The closest group of islands to Hokkaido, Habomai, which is very close to Japan, is located at arm's length from this island. As for the distance from Cape Nosappu to the Habomai Islands, it is 3.7 km to Kaigara Island (Signalny Island). The lighthouse, built here by the Japanese in 1936, is currently used for safe navigation through the Goyomai (Soviet) Strait, which has long been considered dangerous for ships due to the high speed of the sea current passing here. This island abounds in high quality seaweed and therefore, a non-governmental agreement was concluded between Japan and Russia (Soviet Union) on its production, thanks to which, within a set period of time, Japanese fishing vessels approach this island and fish for seaweed.
From Cape Nosappu to Suisho Island (Tanfilyeva Island) 7 km, to Akiyuri Island (Anuchina Island) 13.7 km, to Yuri Island (Yuri Island) 16.7 km, to Shibotsu Island (Green Island) 25.6 km, and to Shikotan Island 73.3 km.
In clear weather, Habomai Island and Kunashir Island can be seen from Cape Nosappu with the naked eye. And from the coast of Hokkaido, from the Nemuro Peninsula to the Shiretoko Peninsula, Kunashir Island is visible. From the tip of the Notsuke Peninsula, located almost in the center of Nemuro Bay, to Cape Keramuy (Cape Veslovsky), which is located in the southernmost part of Kunashir Island, is only 16 km.
From the port of Nemuro to the administrative center of Kunashir Island, Furukamappu (Yuzhno-Kurilsk), can be reached by steamship traveling at a speed of 11 knots per hour in just four hours. From Moscow to Khabarovsk the plane flies for about nine hours, from Khabarovsk to Sakhalin - less than two hours, and from Sakhalin passengers travel by sea or air to the islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup. Russian citizens who come to the Japanese metropolis on a “visa-free exchange” say that it is terribly far from the islands to Moscow, and the time difference is seven hours. And despite the fact that from these islands to Nemuro is “a stone’s throw”, the time difference is one hour (in summer - two hours).
What is the area of the Northern Territories?
The total area of the islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup is 5036 square meters. km. This is only 0.029% of the entire territory of Russia.
The area of Lake Baikal is 31.5 thousand square meters. km. This is 315 times larger than the area of the Habomai Islands (100 sq. km), 124 times larger than the area of the Shikotan Island (253 sq. km), 21 times larger than the Kunashir Island (1499 sq. km) and 9.9 times larger Iturup Islands (3184 sq. km). And the area of all the islands that form the Northern Territories (5036 sq. km) is no more than 100/625 of the area of Lake Baikal.
What is the Northern Territory?
The northern coast of the islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup faces the Sea of Okhotsk, and the southern coast faces the Pacific Ocean. Under the influence of the maritime climate in the winter season, the average temperature drops to 4.5 degrees below zero. This is warmer than in the Kushiro area. From time to time the temperature occasionally drops to 10 degrees below zero. There is relatively little snowfall here in winter - on the plains there is an average of 0.5 m. From the beginning to the height of summer, due to the interaction of warm and cold currents, dense fogs that are specific to these places reign on the islands. There are few sunny days. The average temperature is approximately 16 degrees Celsius. If the fog clears, then on some days the temperature exceeds 28 degrees. From the end of summer, the fogs stop and good pleasant weather sets in, which is no different from the weather in the eastern regions of Hokkaido.
The landscapes inside the islands have their own characteristics. On the islands of Kunashir and Iturup, under the influence of the Kuril volcanic zone, volcanoes of varying sizes stretch; nature rewarded them with countless rivers, lakes and marshy meadows; On the islands, hot springs come out of the ground.
The Habomai Islands consist of seven islands, each of them has a small number of hills and lowlands, and their topography is flat. In this they are similar to the Nemuro Peninsula.
Shikotan Island generally has sloping relief lines. Dark green groves, contrasting with yellow meadows and low-growing bamboo, create a unique atmosphere. The island is home to valuable wild alpine plants that can only be seen here. Numerous large and small bays and small islands off the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk are home to valuable seabirds.
On Kunashir Island, Tyatya Peak (the highest mountain in the Northern Territories) rises 1822 m high, reminiscent of Fuji in its shape. There are many lakes, swamps, lowlands and rivers. There are also large waterfalls. Most of the forests consist of coniferous species - Sakhalin fir and Japanese spruce; barred owls are found here and brown bears. On the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, facing the opposite Cape Shiretoko, there are cliffs that look like tree trunks, with veins of rocks, which were formed as a result of the eruption of magma flows from volcanoes.
Iturup Island consists entirely of active and temporarily extinct volcanoes. In its eastern part, the coastline drops steeply down in many places, and rivers flow into the sea, forming waterfalls. There is evidence that sea beavers live in the waters off the eastern part of this island. In the western part of this island earth's surface has gentle slopes, and its shores form a bay in which large ships can anchor.
The islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup represent
They are a treasure trove of nature. There is evidence that there are 50 barred owls on Kunashir Island, 2,650 sea beavers on Iturup Island, 825 species of alpine plants on all the mentioned islands, etc. Efforts are being made to study and conserve other animals and plants.
Nature has blessed these islands with water resources. Agricultural crops, such as vegetables, can be grown here in sufficient quantities. The waters around the Northern Territories, under the influence of mixing warm and cold currents, abound in seafood, starting with crabs, salmon and seaweed.
Who currently lives in the Northern Territories and how does their population live?
Currently, citizens of the Russian state live on the islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup.
At one time, 6.5 thousand Japanese lived on the Habomai Islands. Now, apart from border guards, there is no permanent population on these islands.
Ordinary families of Russian citizens live on the other three islands. After the forced evacuation of the Japanese in 1947–1948, there was a shortage of technicians and specialists on these islands, and the Soviet people who lived here experienced difficulties. Since the 1960s, authorities have recruited technicians and workers, paying high wages and resorting to granting privileges unheard of in other parts of the former Soviet Union, such as increased pensions and especially long vacations. Using such methods, the authorities purposefully sent seafood processing specialists to these islands and organized the production and export of finished products at the state fish canning plant. Since the mid-1980s, this work order was no longer strictly observed, free arrival and departure of labor became possible, and entrepreneurs began to move to these islands.
We can say that there is almost no infrastructure here. And after the collapse of the Soviet Union, due to the fact that seafood processing factories began to lack raw materials, workers were no longer paid wages, prices rose and various other problems arose, the Russian population of the islands faced very serious difficulties. A strong earthquake that occurred in October 1994 in the open sea off the island of Shikotan (in Japanese - “earthquake east of Hokkaido”) and a tsunami completely destroyed the life of the island population. As a result, many seafood processing plants, schools, and kindergartens were destroyed either completely or half-destroyed. Because of Money There wasn’t even enough money to dismantle and demolish the damaged buildings; people were given emergency rooms to live in, and the destroyed buildings were left in their previous condition. Seafood processing plants operating with downtime due to difficulties in financing them found themselves on the verge of bankruptcy. Some families who had acquaintances on the mainland began to move in with them. There are families left on the islands who have nowhere to go to the mainland. They barely support their existence from their garden plots, growing vegetables on them. Needless to say, their living conditions are very difficult.
Since the mid-1990s, Russian military units began to quickly withdraw from the islands. Despite this, the military and their families, due to the fact that if they moved to the mainland, they could not be provided with work and housing there, after demobilization they were often forced to remain on the islands and lead an independent lifestyle. In the period before the 1994 earthquake, 25.4 thousand Russian citizens lived on the islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup, but by July 1998 their number had decreased to 16.14 thousand people (on Shikotan - 2, 45 thousand people, in Kunashir - 5.5 thousand people and in Iturup - 8.19 thousand people).
According to the political and administrative division of Russia, the islands of Habomai, Shikotan and Kunashir are included in the South Kuril region, and the island of Iturup is in the Kuril region. An administration is appointed to manage each district [in the Yuzhno-Kurilsky region it is located in Furukamappu (Yuzhno-Kurilsk), in the Kurilsky region - in Syana (Kurilsk)].
The main production on these islands is the processing of seafood products. IN last years Personally owned fishing vessels and fishermen fishing on their own also appeared. To communicate with the islands, residents use regular flights of ships that sail from Sakhalin and ply between the islands, as well as flights of airplanes flying from Sakhalin (only to the islands of Kunashir and Iturup). As for port equipment, it can be seen that it is completely absent. Boats are used to land on shore. Outdated ships are abandoned in the ports, and the ports themselves are polluted with sewage.
Despite the fact that on the basis of the Federal Program of Social and economic development Kuril Islands for 1993–1995 and until 2000 were carried out preparatory work on the construction of a main road through all these islands and work is underway to replace the beams of bridges across the rivers, there are still no highways on the islands (with the exception of part of Kunashir Island), and on the island of Shikotan there are such construction works didn't start at all.
There are libraries in Kunashir and Iturup, and newspapers are published. In terms of medical care, medicines and medical equipment are in short supply and residents cannot receive adequate treatment. Many of them are specially sent to Sakhalin and the Russian mainland for treatment. The Japanese government, providing emergency humanitarian assistance, built outpatient clinics on Shikotan and Iturup, donated ultrasonic medical devices on Kunashir, and also provided free medicines and ambulances on these three islands.
In addition to this, the Japanese government also began supplying fuel as an emergency humanitarian aid during the winter season. As a gift to schoolchildren on the island of Shikotan, which suffered the most from the earthquake, a Primary School. And on Kunashir a pier has been built where boats and small vessels are anchored. Technical guidance is provided in the field of agriculture and marine fisheries. In 1999, Japan also provided assistance to Kunashir by building a shelter in case emergency situations, and installed electric generators and other equipment on all other islands.
IN Lately On the island of Iturup, where the largest Russian population lives among all the South Kuril islands, the enterprises of the Gidrostroy company, which is mainly engaged in the processing of seafood products, began to develop successfully. More than half the island's population works for this company and related enterprises. In July 1999 this company I decided to establish my own enterprise on the island of Shikotan during this year.
On the island of Kunashir (though in very small quantities) sausages and beer are produced, and on the island of Iturup a school acquired in America is being built, which is a model of cleanliness.
As for the island of Shikotan, there was a time when the seafood processing industry, mainly crabs, developed here. One third of the canned crabs of the entire Soviet Union were produced here. But at present, due to poaching, depletion of fishing resources, damage from earthquakes, insufficient material supplies, etc. The seafood plant is almost non-functional. The island's inhabitants inevitably face daily difficulties. The situation worsened especially in the first half of 1999, when fuel supplies stopped and electricity supplies almost ceased.
Buildings built on these islands during the Japanese period, such as a post office and a seafood cooperative, have survived only in small numbers on the island of Iturup in Syana (Kurilsk).
What is a “visa-free exchange”?
In April 1991, President of the USSR M.S. Gorbachev arrived on a visit to Japan. This was the first visit to Japan by a top leader of a neighboring state in the entire history of Japanese-Russian and Japanese-Soviet relations. The Joint Japanese-Soviet Statement, signed by him during this visit with the then Prime Minister of Japan Toshiki Kaifu, contained an agreement on visits by Russian citizens living on these islands to the Japanese metropolis and the Japanese islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup without passports and visas . These visits were carried out at the suggestion of the Soviet Union. In November of the same year, the agreement on this was concretized in letters exchanged between the foreign ministers of both countries. Mutual visits began in May 1992. Until June 1999 inclusive, about 2.8 people from each side took turns making such mutual trips on both sides, which greatly contributed to strengthening mutual understanding and friendship.
Russian citizens from the Northern Territories who visited Japan visited the regions of Northern Japan - Hokkaido, Akita and Mi-yagi, Central Japan - Gunma, Tokyo and Yokohama, as well as the regions of Western Japan - Ishikawa, Wakayama, Hyogo and Hiroshima, and got acquainted with the schools there , factories, historical landmarks, other objects and took part in conversations with local population. And the Japanese, who visited the northern islands (actually three of them, since there is no population on the Habomai Islands), also got acquainted with kindergartens, schools, seafood processing plants and other facilities there and, having visited families, established connections with them .
Since 1997, Russian citizens living in the Northern Territories and employed in agriculture and fisheries, began implementing advanced training programs on the island of Hokkaido, lasting several days. In addition, despite the short duration of their stay, Japanese volunteers from the national detachment of the Youth Foreign Cooperation Corps gave Japanese language lessons on the island. These lessons, conducted in accordance with the persistent wishes of the Russian residents on the island of Kunashir, were further expanded from the summer of 1999 and were held for three weeks on three islands - Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup by students of Tokyo Women's University and the forces of the said organization, which allocated for this is two people and two more assistants. One of the results of Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's visit to Moscow in September 1998 was a decision (in addition to “visa-free exchange”) for free visits to the Northern Territories by Japanese former residents of the islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup.
Russian citizens living in the Northern Territories would have to oppose the return of the four island entities to Japan...
In fact, the opposite is true. According to the results of a public opinion poll among residents of the Northern Territories, which the NHK radio and television corporation commissioned to conduct by the All-Russian Central Institute of Public Opinion in September 1998, based on a sample survey of 1000 people from three islands - Kunashir, Iturup and Shikotan, consent to the return of the Northern Territories to Japan territories without any conditions or on certain conditions was answered by 44% of respondents, and 42% of respondents were against it (information on television of the NHK corporation on November 5, 1998).
In addition, according to a survey by the Kyodo Tsushin news agency, which was conducted on the islands of Iturup and Shikotan among 100 local residents, 65% of residents of the island of Shikotan agreed to the return of the Northern Territories to Japan, and 87% of residents of the island of Iturup opposed their return to Japan (the agency “Kyodo Tsushin” dated September 20, 1998).
And in a survey of 404 residents of three islands - Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup, the ratio between supporters and opponents of the return of Japan to the Northern Territories was 73% to 20.3% (Yomiuri newspaper, July 17, 1993).
There are also data published by the Russian side. According to a survey of 100 Russian experts on Japan from among government members, parliamentarians and scientists, which was conducted by the International Sociological Center in Moscow in January 1996, 45% of respondents were in favor of the return of the Northern Territories of Japan, 20% were against ( newspaper “Mainichi Shimbun” dated December 2, 1996).
There is no doubt that with such a wide range of survey results, they cannot necessarily be relied upon. However, during confidential conversations during “visa-free exchanges”, the overwhelming majority of Russian residents of the above-mentioned islands agree to the return of the Northern Territories to Japan. Moreover, many of them even resolutely stated: “The sooner these islands are returned to Japan, the better.”
In the Izvestia newspaper on February 17, 1998, in a report from the Northern Territories, a message was published that a situation had arisen in which the Northern Territories were rapidly being absorbed into the Japanese economic zone. At the same time, it was indicated that the majority of residents of the South Kuril Islands share a realistic opinion, which is “the absence of objections to their return to Japan.”
In 1946, ordinary Soviet citizens began to move to the Northern Territories for the first time. At first, for just two years, the situation remained in which the Japanese population lived together with the population from the Soviet Union, including in houses owned by the Japanese. Later, all Japanese were forcibly expelled from these islands. Russian families who have continued to live here since that time, there are now very few left, almost all of the settlers are those who came to the islands starting in the 1950s.
Since 1992, “visa-free exchange” began between the Japanese and modern residents of the Northern Territories.
The majority of the Russian population only after establishing direct contacts with the former Japanese inhabitants of these islands learned about the historical facts related to the separation of the Northern Territories from Japan by the Soviet Union after the Second World War and the expulsion of their Japanese population from the above-mentioned islands.
It is of deep interest that, compared with the predominance of votes of ordinary Russian residents of the Northern Territories in favor of their return to Japan, local leaders from the authorities executive power and the majority of the parliamentary corps speak out against the return of the mentioned islands to Japan.
If you listen carefully to the voices of the Russian residents of the Northern Territories, it becomes clear that people have extremely serious concerns about how they will feel after the return of the above-mentioned islands to Japan.
In this sense, what sympathizes with them most are the former Japanese residents of these islands, who were previously expelled to the metropolis. The Northern Territories Development Plan (1991), prepared by a research organization consisting mainly of former residents of the islands, put forward the basic principle that, in returning the Northern Territories to Japan, modern Russian residents of these islands should not endure the severe labor pains of employment similar to what they themselves experienced. former Japanese residents of the mentioned territories, and therefore they should be given the opportunity to live together with the Japanese.
In addition, the non-governmental project “Issues related to the return of the Northern Territories”, published in March 1999, was based on the premise of cohabitation of the Japanese and Russian populations (see question 79). The Japanese government has stated that when resolving the issue of the Northern Territories, the tendency will remain to fully respect the rights, interests, and aspirations of Russian citizens who currently live on the islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup.
The concerns of the indigenous Russian inhabitants of the named islands should disappear without a trace thanks to the above-mentioned measures. A considerable number of Russian residents openly declare: “The Russian government and the administration of the Sakhalin region are not giving us anything. This is nothing more than a policy in which they leave us to our fate.” That is why the degree of dependence of the lives of the Russian inhabitants of these islands on Japan is becoming more and more noticeable.
Isn't the Japanese government trying to achieve, through promises to the modern Russian population of the Northern Territories, the consent of this population for their return to Japan?
The Russian government has not yet officially come out in favor of the return of the Northern Territories to Japan. Therefore, the Japanese government, for its part, adheres to the following position: it cannot officially promise that in the event of the return of the Northern Territories to Japan, it will provide the Russian population currently living in these territories with protection of various living conditions, including the rights they have and interests that could be guaranteed to him from the Japanese side.
What, despite this, will life be like for the Russian population of the above-mentioned islands after the return of the northern islands to Japan? This is relevant and important question. Therefore, non-governmental research groups Japanese scientists, experts, former diplomats, former residents of the Northern Territories and others also believe that after the return of the above-mentioned islands, Japan should sufficiently protect the rights and interests that the current Russian residents of these territories already have ( see questions 78–81). Apparently, it would not be a mistake to consider this fact as a reflection of the sentiments of the Japanese government, as well as the majority of the Japanese people.
The Russian population that currently lives in the Northern Territories is divided into two large groups - those who, after the return of the Northern Territories to Japan, would like to remain in their previous place of residence, and those who, having left their previous place of residence, would like to move to Sakhalin or to the metropolis. Since existing legislation does not allow dual citizenship, persons who remain in Japan, after several years of their stay in this country, will likely be faced with a choice - either to retain Russian citizenship or to acquire a new, Japanese citizenship. However, if we exclude this point, the current Russian population of the above-mentioned islands will probably not, after the return of the Northern Territories of Japan, experience greater difficulties than they currently experience in the economic and social areas of life. Persons who wish to remain on these islands will maintain their current employment and their standard of living will be generally consistent with that of Japan.
As for persons who, after Japan's return of the Northern Territories, wish to resettle from these islands to mainland Russia, non-governmental research groups suggest that the Japanese government should pay them the funds necessary for resettlement from the very beginning, if this resettlement is accompanied by a change in place of residence, work and etc., although these expenses would have to be borne by the Russian government.
Dishonest people and the mafia who expect large gains or profits as a result of the change in sovereignty over the Northern Territories are likely to be disappointed, given no chance to adapt to this situation. With the exception of such persons, the current serious Russian residents of the above-mentioned islands expect to receive decent compensation (to the extent that they think rationally in such cases). These conditions must be taken into account so that a situation does not arise where someone would receive an excessively high income, and someone would be left high and dry as a result of the conscientious implementation of the agreement between the governments of Japan and Russia. And such scrupulous concern for the fate of the settlers is probably characteristic of the Japanese.
The northern territories - the islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup - are Russian territory because Russia has effectively controlled these islands for more than 50 years.
In the event that any countries do not make claims against the fact that any state controls the territories of another country, then the latter’s right to these territories could be recognized as legitimate. However, regarding the illegal occupation of the Northern Territories, consistently objecting to it, the Japanese side continues to demand the return of these territories to Japan.
In conflicts over the right to own territory, wars have long been and often resorted to to resolve the dispute. Wars to conquer territories were fought until the Second World War. However, after the Second World War, a rule was established: “it is unacceptable to expand the territory of a state through wars” (the principle of non-expansion of territory).
Citizens of Russia (Soviet Union) first moved to the Northern Territories after the end of the Second World War. From time to time you hear the following statement: “Russian citizens live on these islands, develop them, there are graves of three generations of their ancestors.” However, before Russian citizens came to the Northern Territories in 1946, only Japanese lived on these islands. There was not a single Russian there. The Japanese lived on these islands for five or six generations and continued to develop them. During the reign of I. Stalin, the Soviet Union expelled these Japanese from there, and this mistake remains uncorrected to this day.
No, I definitely wouldn’t have time to fly to the Kuril Islands very quickly. But today my father returned to Moscow from an expedition that lasted from the end of August of this year.
By profession he is a hydrobiologist, senior employee of the All-Russian Research Institute of Ocean Resources, Doctor of Science. Moreover, as the name of the research institute suggests, he is engaged in applied science, namely, taking into account populations and making forecasts for the marine fishing fleet. And not the one who fishes, but the one who gets mollusks and crustaceans.
Most often he worked in the Far East, on fishing vessels on the high seas. In the same year - at the station fishing base, which is located on the southernmost island of the Lesser Kuril Ridge - Tanfilyev Island in the Habomai archipelago, just 8 km from the coast of Japan.
Although he has been going on flights since Soviet times, he only had a camera with him now. This post is just an introduction, and I haven’t yet figured out how to break the material collected during my 4 months on the island into separate posts.. We will talk about a completely different side of the Kuril Islands.
Kunashir, forest. 
Kunashir. The village of Golovnino is the capital of the Kuril Islands under the Japanese. 
Sea and lighthouse behind the fog
:
Habomai Archipelago: 
Pacific Ocean: 
Wave and stone: 
Japan, which is only 8 kilometers away: 
Japanese Heritage: 
Cross of 1997, denoting the region of Russia: 
People are mainly fishing sailors, and their equipment: 
Sea reptiles, which could be the subject of a whole separate post. 
Ya shrimp!!! 
Japanese: view from the screen 
I answer in advance: local residents are categorically against transferring the islands to Japan.
And there is no need to make such astonished eyes: there are many thousands of kilometers from us to Japan, and several dozen from them. It’s certainly better for them to know where they would prefer to live. 
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habomai map, habomai
(Japanese 歯舞群島 Habomai-gunto?, Suisho, “Flat Islands”) is the Japanese name for a group of islands in the northwest Pacific Ocean, together with the island of Shikotan in Soviet and Russian cartography, included in the Lesser Kuril Ridge. The Habomai group includes the islands of Polonsky, Oskolki, Zeleny, Tanfilyeva, Yuri, Demina, Anuchina and a number of small ones. Separated by the Soviet Strait from the island of Hokkaido. Area - 100 km².
- 1 Etymology and use of the name
- 2 Description
- 3 List of islands
- 4 Notes
- 5 Links
Etymology and use of the name
The unifying Japanese name for the group of islands is derived from the former administrative-territorial division of Japan: until April 1, 1959, Habomai County formally existed.
In recent years, there has been a debate in Russian society about the admissibility of using the name “Habomai” in Russian. Thus, in the resolution of the Sakhalin Regional Duma dated February 18, 1999, it was noted that the name Habomai was used in a number of Russian-Japanese agreements in 1998, which led to the widespread use of this name in Russian funds mass media. Attention was drawn to the letter of the Interdepartmental Commission on Geographical Names of the Russian Federation (MVK No. 2257 of October 1, 1997), as well as to the requirements of Art. 8, 11 of the Federal Law “On the Names of Geographical Objects” N 152-FZ of December 18, 1997. Based on these documents, the Sakhalin Regional Duma
- demanded that the use of such Japanese geographical names in Russian official documents and the media be considered unacceptable;
- proposed making appropriate changes to the Russian-Japanese treaties of 1998.
Responding to this kind of criticism, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov explained that the name “Habomai” was used “... in the Joint Declaration of the USSR and Japan of October 19, 1956, which was ratified by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and is a valid international treaty. Since international treaties take precedence over domestic legislation, the name “Habomai” was subsequently repeatedly used in official Russian-Japanese documents.”
In the summer of 2006, the Sakh.com news agency reported on a situation where the use of the name “Habomai” on a website was recognized as an administrative offense, for which a fine of 30 minimum wages (equal to 3,000 rubles) was collected from the site manager.
Description
The islands are stretched in a line parallel to the Great Kuril Ridge, 48 km south of the latter. The straits between the islands are shallow and filled with reefs and underwater rocks. Strong tidal currents and persistent dense fogs make the straits extremely dangerous for navigation.
Most of the islands are low-lying. Landscapes are desert, rocky, meadow; There are no forests, there are bushes and swamps. This group of islands is characterized by a humid maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. Judging by observations of the breeding season of some rodents, which here lasts until November, the climate of Habomai is even milder than in Kunashir.
There is no civilian population on the islands - only Russian border guards.
The Habomai archipelago, along with the islands of Kunashir, Iturup and Shikotan, is the subject of a territorial dispute between Russia and Japan.
List of islands
View of Habomai from Hokkaido- Green Island (Japanese: 志発島 Shibotsu-?, literally “Aspiration Island”)
- Polonsky Island (Japanese: 多楽島 taraku-to:?, lit. “Island of Great Fun”)
- Tanfilyev Island (Japanese: 水晶島 suishō-jima?, lit. “Crystal Island”)
- Yuri Island (Japanese: 勇留島 yu:ri-to:?)
- Anuchina Island
- Demin Islands
- Shard Islands
- Rock Kira
- Cave Rock (Kanakuso) - sea lion rookery on the rock.
- Sail Rock (Hokoki)
- Rock Candle (Rosoku)
- Fox Islands (Todo)
- Cone Islands (Kabuto)
- Jar Dangerous
- Watchman Island (Khomosiri or Muika)
- Drying Rock (Odoke)
- Reef Island (Amagi-sho)
- Signal Island (Japanese: 貝殻島 kaigar-jima?)
- Amazing Rock (Hanare)
- Rock Seagull
Notes
- What are the “northern territories”?
- 1
2
3
4
S. A. Ponomarev // Provincial Gazette (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk). - September 19, 2001. - No. 176.
In fact, Habomai is, firstly, the name of a village on the island of Hokkaido - the center of the county of the same name, and secondly, the unifying Japanese name for a group of small islands, derived from the former administrative division of Japan. According to Russian cartography, these islands are part of the Lesser Kuril Ridge, which they belong to together with the larger island of Shikotan.
Behind the seemingly foreign name Habomai, which is drummed into the national consciousness, there are about 20 islands and rocks that have their own Russian names.
- Main Directorate of Geodesy and Cartography under the Council of Ministers of the USSR. Atlas of the USSR. - M., 1990. - P. 76.
- Oleg Alekseevich Bogatikov. Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy and Geochemistry of the USSR Academy of Sciences, USSR Academy of Sciences. Petrographic Committee. Oceanic magmatism: evolution, geological correlation. - Moscow: Science, 1986. - P. 186.
- V. Barkalov, S. S. Kharkevich. Biological and Soil Institute (USSR Academy of Sciences), All-Union Botanical Society, Scientific Council on the problem “Biological foundations of rational use, transformation and protection of flora” (USSR Academy of Sciences). Far Eastern branch. Flora of high-mountain ecosystems of the USSR: collection of scientific works. - Vladivostok, 1986. - 159 p.
- N. N. Mikhailov. My Russia. - Soviet Russia. - M., 1971. - P. 232.
- Japan
Regarding the problem of border demarcation, official Tokyo, having formally abandoned the once pursued policy of “linking” the development of bilateral relations with the solution of the territorial problem, nevertheless, does not miss the opportunity to emphasize that “building a strategic partnership with Russia based on genuine trust is only possible while simultaneously moving towards resolving the terrorist issue,” of course, on the basis of the well-known Japanese position (Russia’s recognition of Japanese sovereignty over the South Kuril islands of Kunashir and Iturup, as well as the Lesser Kuril ridge - Shikotan Island and the Habomai group of islands.)
- "On the use of Russian names of geographical objects on the Kuril Islands." Resolution of the Sakhalin Regional Duma (February 18, 1999 No. 16/4/52-2). Retrieved September 14, 2011. Archived from the original on March 31, 2012.
- Igor Ivanov. Russia must be active in the Asia-Pacific region, Nezavisimaya Gazeta (02/23/1999). Retrieved September 15, 2011.
- Natalya Krapivina. Erase Habomai - 2, Sakhalin.info, Sakh.com news agency (June 7, 2006). Retrieved September 15, 2011.
- DisCollection.ru:: Small mammals of the southern Kuril Islands
- Regional studies: Southern Kuril Islands or northern territories?
- Soviet-Japanese Declaration of 1956
At the same time, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, meeting the wishes of Japan and taking into account the interests of the Japanese state, agrees to the transfer to Japan of the islands of Habomai and the island of Shikotan with the fact that the actual transfer of these islands to Japan will be made after the conclusion of the Peace Treaty between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Japan .
- Tokyo Declaration on Russian-Japanese Relations
The president Russian Federation and the Prime Minister of Japan, adhering to common understanding about the need to overcome the difficult legacy of the past in bilateral relations, held serious negotiations on the issue of ownership of the islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai. The parties agree that negotiations should continue with the aim of concluding a peace treaty as soon as possible by resolving this issue, based on historical and legal facts, and on the basis of documents developed by agreement between the two countries, as well as the principles of legality and justice, and thus completely normalize bilateral relationship.
- Irkutsk Statement by the President of the Russian Federation and the Prime Minister of Japan on the further continuation of negotiations on the issue of a peace treaty
...based on this, agreed to accelerate further negotiations with a view to concluding a peace treaty by resolving the issue of ownership of the islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai and thus achieving complete normalization of bilateral relations on the basis of the Tokyo Declaration of 1993.
Links
- Topographic map of the Habomai Archipelago
- Small Kuril ridge
| Great Kuril Ridge |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Kuril ridge | Shikotan of Aivazovsky* Alexey Gnechko* Grig* Dalny* Ninth Val* Igor Farkhutdinov* Sergei Kapitsa* Middle* Polonsky* Oskolki Islands* Green* Tanfilyev* Yuri* Demin Islands* Anuchin* Sentry* Signal* Reef* | ||||||
| * islands, also known by the common name | |||||||
habomai, habomai map
Habomai Information About
(Picture from here: http://www.27region.ru/news/index.php/newscat/worldnews/19908-----l-r-)
“Japan claims four islands in the Kuril chain - Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai, citing the bilateral Treaty on Trade and Boundaries of 1855. Moscow’s position is that the southern Kuril Islands became part of the USSR (which Russia became its successor) following the Second World War, and Russian sovereignty over them, which has the appropriate international legal framework, cannot be doubted.”
(Source: Korrespondent.net, 02/08/2011)
A little history (which was researched and published by A.M. Ivanov here - http://www.pagan.ru/lib/books/history/ist2/wojny/kurily.php)
“The 50s of the 19th century was the period of the “discovery of Japan” by the Americans and Russians. The representative of Russia was Rear Admiral E.V. Putyatin, who arrived on the frigate Pallada, who in a letter to the Japanese Supreme Council dated November 6, 1853, insisted on the need for differentiation, pointing out that Iturup belongs to Russia, since it has long been visited by Russian industrialists, who long before the Japanese created there their settlements. The border was supposed to be drawn along the La Perouse Strait."
(E.Ya. Fainberg. Russian-Japanese relations in 1697-1875, M., 1960, p. 155).
Article 2 of the “Russian-Japanese Treaty on Trade and Borders” dated January 26 (February 7), 1855, signed by the parties in the city of Shimoda, states: “From now on, the borders between Russia and Japan will be between the islands Iturup and Urup. The entire island of Iturup belongs to Japan, and the entire island of Urup and the other Kuril Islands to the north are Russian possessions. As for the island of Krafto (Sakhalin), it remains undivided between Russia and Japan, as it has been until now.”(Yu.V. Klyuchnikov and A.V. Sabanin. International politics of modern times in treaties, notes and declarations. Part I. M., 1925. pp. 168-169). See picture above.
But on April 25 (May 7), 1875, the Japanese forced Russia, weakened Crimean War 1953-1956, sign an agreement in St. Petersburg, according to which:
« In return for ceding rights to Sakhalin Island to Russia... His Majesty the Emperor of All Russia... cedes to His Majesty the Emperor of Japan a group of islands called the Kuril Islands, which he owns, so that from now on the said group of Kuril Islands will belong to the Japanese Empire. This group includes the following 18 islands (the list follows), so that the border line between the Russian and Japanese empires in these waters will pass through the strait located between Cape Lopatko on the Kamchatka Peninsula and Shumshu Island.”
(Yu.V. Klyuchnikov and A.V. Sabanin. International politics of modern times in treaties, notes and declarations. Part I, M., 1925, p. 214)
To make it clear, it should be clarified that at that time the southern part of SAKHALIN island belonged to the Japanese, and the northern one - Russia (by the way, both La Perouse and Krusenstern considered Sakhalin a peninsula).
“On the night of August 8-9, 1945, the USSR violated its obligations under the neutrality pact and started a war against Japan, although there was no threat to Russia from Japan, and captured Manchuria, Port Arthur, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands islands. A landing on Hokkaido was also being prepared, but the Americans intervened, and the occupation of Hokkaido by the Red Army was not implemented.
After the war, the question of concluding a peace treaty with Japan arose. In accordance with international law, only a peace treaty brings a final line under the war, finally resolves all controversial issues between former enemies, finally resolves territorial problems, clarifies and establishes state borders. All other decisions, documents, acts are just a prelude to a peace treaty, its preparation.
In this sense, the Yalta Agreement between Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt is not yet a final solution to the problem of the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin, but just a “protocol of intentions” of the allies in the war, a statement of their positions and a promise to pursue a certain line in the future, when preparing a peace treaty . In any case, there is no reason to believe that the problem of the Kuril Islands had already been resolved in Yalta in 1945. It should be finally resolved only in a peace treaty with Japan. And nowhere else...
Some say that if four islands are returned to Japan, then Alaska must be returned to Russia. But what kind of return can we talk about? if Alaska was sold to the United States in 1867, the purchase and sale agreement was signed, and the money was received. Today one can only regret this, but all the talk about the return of Alaska has no basis.
Therefore, there is no reason to fear that the possible return of the four Kuril Islands to Japan will cause chain reaction activities in Europe.
We must also understand that this is not a revision of the results of the Second World War, because the Russian-Japanese border is not internationally recognized: the results of the war have not yet been summed up, the passage of the border has not been recorded. Today, not only the four southern Kuril Islands, but all the Kuril Islands and the southern part of Sakhalin below the 50th parallel do not legally belong to Russia. They are still occupied territory to this day. Unfortunately, the truth - historical, moral and, most importantly, legal - is not on Russia’s side.”
However, when negotiations on the normalization of Soviet-Japanese relations were held in London in 1955, the Soviet delegation agreed to include in the draft peace treaty an article on the transfer to Japan of the islands of the Lesser Kuril chain (Habomai and Shikotan), which was reflected in the joint declaration signed after the stay of Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama in Moscow on October 13-19, 1956:
“The USSR, meeting the wishes of Japan and taking into account the interests of the Japanese state, agrees to the transfer of the Habomai Islands and the Shikotan Islands to Japan with the condition, however, that the actual transfer of these islands to Japan will take place after the conclusion of the Peace Treaty between the USSR and Japan.”
Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia
Kurile Islands
- a chain of islands between the Kamchatka Peninsula and the island of Hokkaido, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean with a slightly convex arc. Length - about 1200 km. The total area is 10.5 thousand sq. km.
The islands are populated extremely unevenly. The population lives permanently only in Paramushir, Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan. The other islands have no permanent population. At the beginning of 2010, there were 19 settlements: two cities (Severo-Kurilsk, Kurilsk), an urban-type settlement (Yuzhno-Kurilsk) and 16 villages.
The maximum population value was observed in 1989 and amounted to 29.5 thousand people(excluding conscripts).
Urup
Island of the southern group of the Great Ridge of the Kuril Islands. Administratively, it is part of the Kuril urban district of the Sakhalin region. Uninhabited.
The island stretches from northeast to southwest for 116 km. with its width up to 20 km. Area 1450 sq. km. The relief is mountainous, heights up to 1426 m (Vysokaya Mountain). Between the Vysokaya and Kosaya mountains of the Krishtofovich ridge, at an altitude of 1016 m, Lake Vysokoye is located. Waterfalls with maximum height up to 75 m.
Currently Urup is uninhabited. There are non-residential buildings on the island settlements Castricum and Company.
The Frisa Strait is a strait in the Pacific Ocean that separates the island of Urup from the island of Iturup. Connects the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean. One of the largest straits of the Kuril ridge. The length is about 30 km. Minimum width 40 km. Maximum depth over 1300 m. The shore is steep and rocky.
(Today Japan and Russia are separated by the Soviet Strait, the length of which is about 13 km. The width is about 10 km. Maximum depth more than 50 m. See picture above)
Iturup
The island stretches from northeast to southwest for 200 km, width from 7 to 27 km. Area - 3200 sq. km. Consists of volcanic massifs and mountain ranges. The island has many volcanoes and waterfalls. Iturup is separated by the Frisa Strait from the island of Urup, located 40 km away. to the northeast; Catherine Strait - from Kunashir Island, located 22 km to the southwest.
In the central part of the island on the shores of the Kuril Bay of the Sea of Okhotsk is the city of Kurilsk, in 2010 the population was 1,666.
Rural settlements: Reidovo, Kitovoe, Rybaki, Goryachiye Klyuchi, Burevestnik, Shumi-Gorodok, Gornoe.
Non-residential settlements: Active, Slavnoe, September, Vetrovoe, Zharkie Vody, Pioneer, Iodny, Lesozavodsky, Berezovka.
Kunashir
The island stretches from northeast to southwest for 123 km, width from 7 to 30 km. Area - 1490 sq. km. The structure of Kunashir resembles neighboring Iturup and consists of three mountain ranges. The highest peak is the Tyatya volcano (1819 m) with a regular truncated cone topped by a wide crater. This beautiful high volcano is located in the northeastern part of the island. Kunashir is separated by the Catherine Strait from Iturup Island, located 22 km northeast. The rivers of Kunashir, as elsewhere in the Kuril Islands, are short and low-water. The longest river is Tyatina, which originates from the Tyatya volcano. The lakes are predominantly lagoon (Peschanoe) and caldera (Goryachee).
In the central part of the island on the shores of the South Kuril Strait is located urban settlement Yuzhno-Kurilsk - the administrative center of the Yuzhno-Kuril urban district.In 2010, the population of the village was 6,617 residents.
Non-residential settlements: Sergeevka, Urvitovo, Dokuchaevo, Sernovodsk.
Young Soviet Russia recognized the Portsmouth Treaty of 1905 as valid. He was imprisoned after Russo-Japanese War. Under this treaty, Japan not only retained all of the Kuril Islands, but also received Southern Sakhalin.
This was the situation with the disputed islands before the Second World War - even before 1945. I would like to once again draw general attention to the fact that until the 45th year Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai never belonged to Russia, and to say otherwise means going against facts. Everything that happened after 1945 is no longer so clear.
During almost the entire period of World War II (September 1939 - August 1945), Japan and the Soviet Union were not at war. For in April 1941, a Neutrality Pact was concluded between both countries with a validity period of 5 years. However, on August 9, 1945, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and on the same day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, the Soviet Union, in violation of the Neutrality Pact, entered the war against Japan, whose defeat was no longer in doubt. A week later, on August 14, Japan accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and capitulated to the Allied powers.
After the end of the war, the entire territory of Japan was occupied by Allied forces. As a result of negotiations between the allies, the territory of Japan proper was subject to occupation by US troops, Taiwan by Chinese troops, and Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands by Soviet troops. The occupation of the Northern Territories was a military occupation, completely bloodless after hostilities, and therefore subject to termination as a result of a territorial settlement under a peace treaty.
During a war, the territory of another country may be occupied and the occupying country, under international law, has the rights to administer it on the basis of military necessity. However, on the other hand, the 1907 Hague Convention on the Laws and Customs of War on Land and other international legal instruments impose certain obligations on this country, in particular, respect for the private rights of the population. Stalin ignored these international norms and, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on February 2, 1946, included the areas under occupation into the territory of his country.
And here is the opinion of the Japanese side: “We welcome that recently the Russian government has declared that it is considering the territorial problem between Japan and Russia on the basis of legality and justice. It is from the point of view of legality and justice that we believe that the mentioned Decree of the Presidium is illegal and clarification of this is of paramount importance and the appropriation of the territory of another state through such a unilateral act is not legally allowed.”
A peace treaty between Japan and the United States, England and other allied countries was concluded in 1951 in San Francisco. The Soviet Union also took part in the peace conference, but did not sign the San Francisco Treaty. In the San Francisco Conference and the San Francisco Peace Treaty regarding the problem of the Northern Territories, the following two points are significant.
The first is that Japan renounces all rights to South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands under the treaty. However, Iturup, Shikotan, Kunashir and the Habomai ridge, which have always been Japanese territory, are not included in the Kuril Islands, which Japan abandoned. The US government, regarding the scope of the concept of the “Kuril Islands” in the San Francisco Peace Treaty, stated in official document: “[They] are not included and there was no intention to include [in the Kuril Islands] the Habomai and Shikotan ranges, as well as Kunashir and Iturup, which previously have always been part of Japan proper and, therefore, should be rightly recognized as being under Japanese sovereignty.” . The second point is related to the fact that the act of annexation by the Soviet Union of South Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands and the Northern Territories did not receive international recognition. First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR A. Gromyko tried to achieve recognition of Soviet sovereignty over these areas, in particular, by proposing amendments to the treaty, but they were rejected by the conference and were not accepted into the contents of the treaty. For this and a number of other reasons, the USSR did not sign the treaty. The San Francisco Treaty makes clear that it does not grant any rights arising from the treaty to non-signatory countries.
Due to the fact that the USSR did not sign the San Francisco Treaty, negotiations were held between June 1955 and October 1956 between Japan and the Soviet Union with the goal of concluding a separate peace treaty between both countries. These negotiations did not lead to an agreement: the Japanese side stated that Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai ridge are the territory of Japan and demanded their return, and the Soviet side took the position that, having agreed to return only Shikotan and Habomai, it could not return Iturup and Kunashir.
As a result, Japan and the USSR, instead of a peace treaty, signed a Joint Declaration, that is, an agreement that provided for the end of the state of war and the restoration of diplomatic relations. Article 9 of this treaty states that after the establishment of diplomatic relations, the parties will continue negotiations to conclude a peace treaty; and the USSR also returns the Habomai ridge and the island of Shikotan after the conclusion of a peace treaty.
The Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration was ratified by the parliaments of both countries and is a treaty deposited with the UN.
In April 1991, the then President of the USSR M. Gorbachev visited Japan. The Japanese-Soviet Statement published at that time explicitly mentioned the Habomai ridge, the islands of Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup. The parties agreed that “the peace treaty should become a document of the final post-war settlement, including the resolution of the territorial issue,” and an agreement was also reached to speed up the preparation of the peace treaty.
After the August Democratic Revolution, Russian President B. Yeltsin proposed a new approach to the territorial issue inherited by Russia from the USSR, which is naturally and positively assessed since the government of the Russian Federation, inheriting the international legal responsibilities of the USSR, declares compliance with the UN Declaration. This new approach, first, emphasizes an understanding of the fact that as a result of positive changes in today's world, a new international order is emerging, in which the division between winners and losers of the Second World War no longer exists. Secondly, it is emphasized that when resolving the territorial issue important principles legality and justice become important, including respect for international agreements concluded in the past. That's all. There was no further movement.
As for the policies of the current President Putin, Japanese politicians led by former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori proposed adhering to the updated Kawan plan for solving the problem, announced in April 1998 by Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto. The Kavan plan is that after the demarcation of the border and the legal assignment of the islands to Japan, the disputed territories will remain de facto Russian for some time. The Russian delegation rejected this proposal, saying that it could not be considered as a mutually acceptable compromise. Putin, in turn, proposed moving towards a peace treaty gradually, while simultaneously building up the entire range of relations. To this end, Vladimir Putin invited the Prime Minister to pay an official visit to Russia, and the two leaders agreed to hold official meetings at least once a year - analogous to what exists between Moscow and Beijing, our “strategic partner.”
Now about the population of the ill-fated islands. According to Rudakova, head of the social department of the Kurilsk administration, every year the Japanese ask Kuril residents whether they want the islands to go to Japan. On Shikotan, as a rule, 60 percent do not want this, and 40 percent are not against it. On other islands, 70 percent are completely against it. “In Shikotan after the 1994 earthquake, everything is Japanese, even the fruit. People are very used to freebies and don’t want to work. They think that the Japanese will always feed them this way,” states Rudakova. Indeed, this option is not included in the Japanese plans. Back in March 1999, the “Society for the Study of the Problem of Restoring Japanese Sovereignty over the Northern Territories” developed rules according to which the Russians would live on the islands after they were transferred to the Japanese. “Residents of Russian origin who have lived for more than 5 years after restoration on Japanese territory, if they wish, have the opportunity to obtain Japanese citizenship after conducting an appropriate individual check,” the document says.
Nevertheless, Japan, a mononational country in which even the descendants of foreigners who settled several generations ago cannot obtain citizenship, pretends that all the rights of the Russians remaining on the islands will be preserved. So that Kuril residents can see with their own eyes how wonderful their life will be under their new owners, the Japanese spare no expense on receptions. Iochi Nakano, head of the secretariat of the Hokkaido Commission for the Development of Relations with the Northern Islands, said that for just one Russian who came to Hokkaido, the island government spends $1,680, not counting contributions from various public organizations. Japanese authorities seem to see things differently. They are confident that their tactics bring positive results. Iochi Nakano says: “Personally, I think there are few Russians in the northern islands who would like to remain Russians. If such exist, it is all the more important to accustom them to the fact that the northern territories belong to Japan.” Kuril residents are very surprised by the ability of the Japanese to quickly believe in what they want and pass it off as reality. Rimma Rudakova recalls how in September 2000, when Putin was in Okinawa, the Japanese hosts of the group began to furiously argue that the decision had already been made to transfer Shikotan and Habomai, and even started talking about starting negotiations on the transfer of southern Sakhalin. “When we left ten days later, they expressed regret that this had not happened,” she said.