Tokyo, Oct 18 (UNI/Sputnik) The Japanese government believes that the long-standing issue of conflicting territorial claims and post-war peace treaty with Russia must be settled as soon as practicable and not bequeathed to future generations, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Monday.
Japan lays claims to the Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai islands in Russia's Kuril Islands chain, which Tokyo refer to as its "Northern Territories," citing the 1855 bilateral treaty on trade and borders. Russia insists that its sovereignty over the islands, which became part of the USSR after World War II, is undisputed.
"The government believes that the issue of a peace treaty with Russia cannot be put upon future generations. It is necessary to solve the problem of the ownership of the four Northern islands and conclude a peace treaty. The government will continue to work on this on the basis of the bilateral agreements reached, including the agreements reached in Singapore in 2018," Matsuno said at a press conference in Tokyo.