Japan asks Russia to reduce military activity on disputed islands

Those islands belongs to Russia

The islands are now Russian as possession is 9/10's of the law. However, Japan---and Hokkaido in particular---should not send one more yen to the Russians for these islands. The next time Russia says "please give us aid and we will discuss the future of the islands" just say "thanks but no thanks." And if Russia doesn't want to cease military activity on the islands in such close proximity to Japan, perhaps a new US base can be created in Nemuro. Maybe we could even discuss moving the base from Okinawa to eastern Hokkaido which would serve the dual purpose of alleviating Okinawa's burden while reminding the Russians that they are no longer a super power.

Kremlin acts like a tough guy here, what a laugh. I bet Japan with its full military might would teach Russia who's the real deal like what happened in the Russo-Japanese War where Japan won every skirmish. Northern Territories are inhabited by Ainu people. As far as I know, these people hold Japanese ancestry. It is very clear that Japan has the rightful claim to these 4 islands.

"They are not Japanese, plain and simple. Russia can GIVE them, but there is no 'back', unless you want to argue Russia 'took them BACK', since Japan had previously taken them to begin with. Russia can do as it pleases with their islands, and them's the breaks."

The original internationally recognised "break" was as follows -

The first official agreement between Japan and Russia regarding the islands was the1855 Treaty of Shimoda and it defined the border between Russia and Japan to be the strait between two of the Kurile Islands - Etorofu (Iuturup) and Uruppu (Urup).

Therefore that initial treaty between Japan and Russia clearly recognised the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and Habomai as part of Japan (and the rest of the Kurile archipelago, as Russian).

Therefore "give them back" is a totally appropriate slogan since the Russians agreed from the outset of diplomatic relations with Japan that the "disputed" islands were Japanese.

There can be no dispute about that.

In 1945, after repeated urging to do so by the USA and Great Britain, the USSR abrogated a 5-year neutrality pact that it signed with Japan in 1941.

[That pact had allowed Stalin to move, in December 1941, about 400,000 troops, 5,000 artillery pieces and 3,300 tanks" (cited from the Soviet's own figures) from Siberia to just in front of Moscow - where the Germans were hammering at the gates.]

After abrogating the neutrality pact, the USSR declared war on Japan on 8th Aug. 1945 (2 days after the Hiroshima atomic bomb) and proceeded to invade Japanese held Manchuria, Korea, Inner Mongolia, the southern half of Sakhalin island, and the Kuriles.

[The behaviour of Soviet forces at the end of WWII in Asia and Europe was as almost as bad as that of the Japanese and Germans in the beginning.]

A pity that when in 1987 US President Regan uttered the words, "Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall." he didn't add, "And, give back those islands."

[Japan would do well to start considering giving Hokkaido back to the Ainu the day Russia returns Siberia to its indigenous inhabitants.]

Japan is just desperate for more land. The Kurils and Sakhalin used to be in habited by native tribes, and Japan failed to win its imperialistic wars. The Soviets forced their less-than-adequate communist party members to relocate to these islands, so today the land should belong to the current residents who are Russian.

You can go to the Old Government Building in Sapporo and see that Japan only ever had some lumber mills set up on Sakhalin.

Expect Russia to ignore Japans request. Russia will do what it like's on Russian territory. If Japan can get the two smaller Islands back in a peace deal it is the best outcome they can expect. Take the deal and build your own military bases on them. Russia will protest and you can then deal on a like for like deal to either both remove military equipment from the islands or both retain them.

Russian people inhabiting islands, Japanese people reminiscing, never get them back. Unless there is an alternative reality where Japan wins wars it started.

Wakarimasen: "Give them back."

Why? They are not Japanese, plain and simple. Russia can GIVE them, but there is no "back", unless you want to argue Russia "took them BACK", since Japan had previously taken them to begin with. Russia can do as it pleases with their islands, and them's the breaks.

Hoppo Ryodo.

Give them back.

Hahaha! Poor Japan! They can do all the drills to "take back the islands" and "defend the islands" and more, but if other countries engage in acts to defend what they call theirs, it hurts Japan's feelings.