Japan expresses regret at Russia's tariff-free zone on disputed islands

Japan expressed regret Thursday after Russia signed into law a bill establishing a tariff-free zone on four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan.

Even with Russian power severely occupied, they manage to thumb their nose at Japan and all Japan can summon is "regret".

These islands belong to Russia. Give it up, Japan.

No , these islands belong to Japan, although currently occupied by Russian military and an artificially settled civilian population. In addition the upper rest of the Kuril Islands and / or the Southern part of Kurafuto/ Sakhalin also belong to Japan, because that is the real contents of the still open to negotiate package, while the four islands of the Northern territories are not and just belong to Japan without any need of a discussion.

Sven Asai, unfortunately(?) the islands don’t belong to Japan, regardless of what is said.

Sven Asai

Seokwoo Lee, a Korean scholar of international law, quotes the October 19, 1951, statement in Japan's Diet by Kumao Nishimura, Director of the Treaties Bureau of the Foreign Ministry of Japan, stating that both Etorofu and Kunashiri are a part of the Kuril Islands and thus covered by Article (2c) of the San Francisco Treaty.[22]

Japan’s argument appear to be based on historical claims and the neutrality pact between Japan and Soviet Union, both of which are unconvincing.

Russia took these islands by force and Japan already signed a treaty that they would renounce claims to at least half of the islands in dispute.

If it’s a “tariff free zone” Japan should jump in there. Business is business. Our economy is down theirs is too. Win win.

Lost is lost, Japan should not play with fire again, is should feel like losing only a finger...

Good news for many Chinese businessman who wanna to invest there. You know the Chinese like seafood as cuisine, it must be a big business there!

Japanese nationalists, get it through your heads. Japan has already signed a treaty that they would relinquish their claim to half the islands that are in dispute. Putin tried to negotiate by giving you half the islands in dispute but you refused them.

You are going to push us into a World War just because you can't swallow your pride. But what do you care, right? It's other countries that will have to fight your battles for you.

Whatever you say, there’s no peace treaty yet and also the USSR didn’t sign the San Francisco treaty. Admitting that Russia is not the USSR , we can therefore only go back to 1917 , the last time there also were Russia and Japan. And if you then look at the maps of that time, we surely can conclude that the islands are Japanese and the upper Kuril’s as well as the Southern part of Kurafuto/ Sakhalin is what still has to be negotiated and treaty fixed. By the way, even my school atlas, within the iron curtain still then, was of course influenced by USSR educational standards and it had exactly shown that situation, the upper islands and half of Sakhalin remarked both as still under dispute, so they in fact know that they are wrong and occupiers. Asking my geography teacher about that, the reaction was a harsh I don’t know about it and an immediately topic change. Just a little episode as illustration of what I mean…

Sven Asai

Yes, Russia did not sign the SF treaty, but Japan did. Japan has already relinquished their claims to half of the islands. Since Japan can not claim these islands and no one else but Russia claims them, they now belong to Russia.

It's unfortunate what happened in WW2, but we can't redraw boundaries based purely on historical claims. Native Americans would then have claim to all of the US. Mexico would have claim to Texas and California.

Yes, Russia did not sign the SF treaty, but Japan did.

I know. And what’s a treaty that only one side has signed? Exactly, a worthless and not binding piece of paper only. Otherwise everyone of us would also design one sided and self signed treaties and cash in billions every day, wouldn’t we? lol

It’s too late. If Japan were neutral, half or more of the islands in dispute could have been returned but being a US proxy means potential US bases on the islands which Russia will not allow. They’ll go to war with Japan to keep the US bases out.

Many of you laugh at Japan’s “regret” as if it is a weakness. Only the strong can practice restraint. Japan is a peaceful country. Imperial Japan is of the last. Unlike Putin, Japan will not start a conflict but use peaceful diplomatic means to solve the island disputes. This should serve as an example to all its East Asian neighbors and the world.

Russia sets up a tariff free zone and Japan calls it ‘deplorable’?

Yeh, the idea of not levying tax on goods and services is as foreign to the Japanese government as admitting refugees is…

Are these islands belonged to Japan since ancient times? If the Japanese possession were in the 1800s, that was not very ancient!

I think the current situation in Ukraine gives you an idea about how russia steals things that doesn’t belong to them. Russia’s claim for these islands is bogus. A corrupt country built on propaganda and cheating. Boycott Russia

mz16Today  08:54 am JST

Sven Asai, unfortunately(?) the islands don’t belong to Japan, regardless of what is said.

The four islands have been Japanese by Treaty with Russia since 1855 and so recognized by the US, UK and EU. as under Russian occupation. Just another example of Russia not being able to abide by any treaty.

It is time to take back the islands, Putin has no right to keep these islands. Japan is not Ukraine.

Kurils island are the sovereignty of Russia, GET OUT KISHIDA!!

Wow......so many Putin lovers here. lol

marcelitoToday  07:43 pm JST

The four islands have been Japanese by Treaty with Russia since 1855 and so recognized by the US, UK and EU. as under Russian occupation.

That's nice...if only Japan didn't enter and loose WW2 things might have been different.

The USSR invaded the southern kuries after Japan declared surrender. The taking of the islands violated the Potsdam and Cairo declarations. The USSR did not even attend much less sign the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty. They stole the four islands. Breaking treaties and agreements and stealing land is a Russian M.O. It's ok for them to steal Ukraine as well right?

Now while the best of Russia’s military is being chewed up in Ukraine and they are shipping yet more troops and equipment from the east, is the time to reclaim the islands!

As stated above the islands have been Japanese by treaty since 1855 Japans defeat in WW2 is irrelevant to that fact, the San Francisco Treaty related to territories taken by force and consequently has no bearing. Russia has no legal claim to the islands and is occupying them illegally.

Arguable how much right they have to most of the eastern territories as they were seized by force? Decolonisation anybody?

With the majority of their best eastern forces now in or on the way to Ukraine, they are relying heavily on the word of the CCP; not something I would want to gamble my country on!

English aspyrgend....

Now while the best of Russia’s military is being chewed up in Ukraine

They have successfully taken the entire south and east of the country. These are the parts they will keep. They Russian military are keeping civilian and military casualties to a minimum. There will always be innocents die in war. The Ukrainians need to think how many of their people they are going to allow to die.

Sven Asai

The SF Treaty was signed by 49 countries.

Also, to anyone where calling me a Putin-lover, nice flame bait. I have repeatedly said in other articles that I am opposed to the war.

Mr Kipling, not sure how indiscriminate bombardment of civilians, residential areas, hospitals, schools and nurseries is designed to keep civilian casualties to a minimum. In any case Russia has illegally invaded a sovereign country so any casualties are unjustified.

Not to mention SC peace treaty, any treaties, any charter, any declaration, any agreement are irrelevant to Russian way of diplomacy where force/violence is everything. Those posters still stupidly claiming the islands belong to Russia must surely be supporting Putin and one year from now, if Ukraine could be occupied, they would all echo, "Ukraine is a part of Russia, get it through your head and move on!"

It's always intriguing to hear nationalists bleat about these islands ad nausea whilst telling their Asian neighbors to " move on" and " it was 70 years ago" etc about all the wrongs Japan did in WW2. Shoe...other foot?

Don't mingle Territorial issues (which are on-going issues) with other false historical narratives still presented by some countries on the same table. Besides, when and who among those Japanese nationalists tells

"move on, it was 70 years ago?" to Asian neighbors. Name One if you can.

Are you serious? 90% of articles about sex slaves, Naking massacre, Unit 731 etc...have nationalistic posters going on about how it either didnt happen, happen but was negligible, other countries did the same, and it was a long time ago and people should move on. You,re on JT regularly so you know that well as most of the regulars here do.

Denial and advisory/suggestive remarks are completely different. I myself have never said " move on, It was long time ago" in this forum about sex slaves, Nanking, Unit731 and what not. What did not happen did not happen. That is all.

Likewise, I think those I assume you call nationalistic posters are trying to prove it wrong rather than just advising all to be forgotten just because it was 70 yrs ago.

You and your ilk just seem to have weird right to call it revisionism outright and throw all together into garbage bin.

Don't mingle Territorial issues (which are on-going issues) with other false historical narratives still presented by some countries on the same table

> Thanks for proving my point...in Japan the ultra right just doesn't wanna talk about those " inconvenient" issues and dismisses them as false narrative whilst going on and on about their pet issues of Kurils and Senkakus. Selective memory at its finest.

Squaring all up just by calling it revisionism is nothing but cowardly evading such inconvenient issues.

"It is not in line with Japan's position

The main problem of Japanese government and whole Japanese people – they just can’t understand the way to build normal relationships with Russia. And to say the truth not especially intrested in it. Threats, sanctions, territorial claims… that not wise.

So now you say that it didn't happen....I rest my case. As for " move on , it was a long time ago" I said that ationalists do say it on JT articles.. fact...easy enough to see in past articles.

It is not now I say so. I have been all the time consistent. What did not happen did not happen.

And you don't know anyone here in JT in person, who are posting whatever anonymous comments , not to mention, they are nationalists or not

Squaring all up just by calling it revisionism is nothing but cowardly evading such inconvenient issues.

No, it's calling it what it is.

No, when historical facts undeniable found out, history MUST be revised. Sticking to fake narratives IS REVISIONISM