Why does Japan claim the Kuril Islands? Unknown Russia: Kuril Islands.

Image copyright RIA Image caption Before Putin and Abe, the issue of signing a peace treaty between Russia and Japan was discussed by all their predecessors - to no avail

During a two-day visit to Nagato and Tokyo, the Russian president will agree with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on investments. The main question - about the ownership of the Kuril Islands - as usual, will be postponed indefinitely, experts say.

Abe became the second G7 leader to host Putin after the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014.

The visit was supposed to take place two years ago, but was canceled due to sanctions against Russia, supported by Japan.

What is the essence of the dispute between Japan and Russia?

Abe is making progress in a long-standing territorial dispute in which Japan claims the islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, as well as the Habomai archipelago (in Russia, this name does not exist, the archipelago, together with Shikotan, are united under the name of the Lesser Kuril Ridge).

The Japanese elite is well aware that Russia will never return two large islands, so they are ready to take a maximum of two small ones. But how to explain to society that they forever refuse big islands? Alexander Gabuev, expert at the Carnegie Moscow Center

At the end of World War II, in which Japan fought on the side of Nazi Germany, the USSR expelled 17,000 Japanese from the islands; no peace treaty was signed between Moscow and Tokyo.

The San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951 between the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition and Japan established the sovereignty of the USSR over South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, but Tokyo and Moscow did not agree on what to understand by the Kuriles.

Tokyo considers Iturup, Kunashir and Habomai to be its illegally occupied "northern territories". Moscow considers these islands part of the Kuril Islands and has repeatedly stated that their current status is not subject to revision.

In 2016, Shinzo Abe flew to Russia twice (to Sochi and Vladivostok), he and Putin also met at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima.

In early December, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow and Tokyo had similar positions on the peace treaty. In an interview with Japanese journalists, Vladimir Putin called the absence of a peace treaty with Japan an anachronism that "should be eliminated."

He also said that the foreign ministries of the two countries need to resolve "purely technical issues" among themselves so that the Japanese can visit the southern Kuriles without visas.

However, Moscow is embarrassed that in the event of the return of the southern Kuriles, US military bases may appear there. The head of the National Security Council of Japan, Shotaro Yachi, did not rule out such a possibility in a conversation with Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, the Japanese newspaper Asahi wrote on Wednesday.

Should we wait for the return of the Kuriles?

The short answer is no. "We should not expect any breakthrough agreements, and ordinary ones too, on the issue of ownership of the southern Kuriles," said former Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Kunadze.

"The expectations of the Japanese side, as usual, are at odds with the intentions of Russia," Kunadze told the BBC. last days Before leaving for Japan, he repeatedly said that for Russia the problem of belonging to the Kuriles does not exist, that the Kuriles are, in essence, a war trophy following the results of the Second World War, and even that Russia's rights to the Kuriles are secured by international treaties.

The latter, according to Kunadze, is a moot point and depends on the interpretation of these treaties.

“Putin is referring to the agreements reached at Yalta in February 1945. These agreements were of a political nature and assumed the appropriate contractual and legal formalization. It took place in San Francisco in 1951. Soviet Union did not sign a peace treaty with Japan at that time. Therefore, there is no other consolidation of Russia's rights in the territories that Japan renounced under the San Francisco Treaty," the diplomat sums up.

"The parties are trying as much as possible to blow off the ball of mutual expectations of the public and show that there will be no breakthrough," comments Alexander Gabuev, an expert at the Carnegie Moscow Center.

"Red line of Russia: Japan recognizes the results of the Second World War, renounces claims to the southern Kuriles. We, as a gesture good will we are handing over two small islands to Japan, and on Kunashir and Iturup we can make visa-free entry, a joint free zone economic development Anything, he thinks. “Russia cannot give up two large islands, because it will be a loss, these islands are of economic importance, a lot of money has been invested there, there is a large population, the straits between these islands are used by Russian submarines when they go out to patrol the Pacific Ocean.”

Japan, according to Gabuev's observations, has softened its position on disputed territories in recent years.

“The Japanese elite is well aware that Russia will never return two large islands, so they are ready to take a maximum of two small ones. But how to explain to society that they are forever abandoning large islands? large. For Russia, this is unacceptable, we want to resolve the issue once and for all. These two red lines are not yet close enough to expect a breakthrough," the expert believes.

What else will be discussed?

The Kuriles are not the only topic discussed by Putin and Abe. Russia needs foreign investment in the Far East.

According to the Japanese edition of Yomiuri, due to sanctions, trade between the two countries has decreased. Thus, imports from Russia to Japan decreased by 27.3% - from 2.61 trillion yen ($23 billion) in 2014 to 1.9 trillion yen ($17 billion) in 2015. And exports to Russia by 36.4% - from 972 billion yen (8.8 billion dollars) in 2014 to 618 billion yen (5.6 billion dollars) in 2015.

The Japanese government intends to acquire a part of the gas fields of the Russian company Novatek, as well as a part of the shares of Rosneft through the state oil, gas and metals corporation JOGMEC.

It is expected that dozens of commercial agreements will be signed during the visit, and the working breakfast of the Russian president and the Japanese prime minister will be attended, in particular, by the head of Rosatom Alexei Likhachev, the head of Gazprom Alexei Miller, the head of Rosneft Igor Sechin, the head of the Russian Fund for Direct investments Kirill Dmitriev, entrepreneurs Oleg Deripaska and Leonid Mikhelson.

So far, Russia and Japan are only exchanging pleasantries. Whether at least part of the economic memorandums will come true, it will become clear whether they can also agree on something.

Kuril Landing Operation The Red Army's operation in the Kuril Islands has entered the history of operational art. It was studied in many armies of the world, but almost all experts came to the conclusion that the Soviet landing forces had no prerequisites for an early victory. Success was ensured by the courage and heroism of the Soviet soldier. American failure in the Kuril Islands

On April 1, 1945, American troops, supported by the British Navy, landed on the Japanese island of Okinawa. The US command expected to seize a bridgehead for the landing of troops on the main islands of the empire with one lightning strike. But the operation lasted almost three months, and the losses among American soldiers were unexpectedly high - up to 40% of the personnel. The resources spent were incommensurable with the result and forced the US government to think about the Japanese problem. The war could last for years and cost the lives of millions of American and British soldiers. The Japanese, on the other hand, were convinced that they could resist for a long time and even put forward conditions for the conclusion of peace.

The Americans and the British were waiting for what the Soviet Union would do, which, at the Allied conference in Yalta, had committed itself to open hostilities against Japan.
The Western allies of the USSR had no doubt that the same long and bloody battles awaited the Red Army in Japan as in the West. But the commander-in-chief Far East, Marshal of the Soviet Union Alexander Vasilevsky did not share their opinion. On August 9, 1945, the Red Army went on the offensive in Manchuria and inflicted a crushing defeat on the enemy in just a few days.

On August 15, Emperor Hirohito of Japan was forced to announce his surrender. On the same day, American President Harry Truman detailed plan surrender of Japanese troops, and sent it for approval to the allies - the USSR and Great Britain. Stalin immediately drew attention to important detail: the text did not say that the Japanese garrisons on the Kuril Islands should capitulate to the Soviet troops, although until recently the American government was in agreement with the fact that this archipelago passed to the USSR. Given that the rest of the points were spelled out in detail, it became clear that this was not an accidental mistake - the United States was trying to put the post-war status of the Kuril Islands into question.

Stalin demanded that the US President make an amendment, and drew attention to the fact that the Red Army intended to occupy not only all the Kuril Islands, but also part of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. It was impossible to rely only on Truman's goodwill; the troops of the Kamchatka defensive region and the Petropavlovsk naval base were ordered to land troops on the Kuril Islands.

Why countries fought for the Kuril Islands

From Kamchatka to good weather one could see the island of Shumshu, which was located only 12 kilometers from the Kamchatka Peninsula. This is the extreme island of the Kuril archipelago - a ridge of 59 islands, 1200 kilometers long. On the maps, they were designated as the territory of the Japanese Empire.

The development of the Kuril Islands by Russian Cossacks began in 1711. At that time, the belonging of this territory to Russia did not raise doubts among the international community. But in 1875, Alexander II decided to consolidate peace in the Far East and handed over the Kuriles to Japan in exchange for her refusal to claim Sakhalin. These peace-loving efforts of the emperor were in vain. After 30 years, the Russo-Japanese War nevertheless began, and the agreement became invalid. Then Russia lost and was forced to recognize the conquest of the enemy. Japan was left not only with the Kuriles, but it also received southern part Sakhalin.

The Kuril Islands are unsuitable for economic activity, therefore, for many centuries they were considered practically uninhabited. There were only a few thousand inhabitants, mostly representatives of the Ainu. Fishing, hunting, subsistence farming - these are all sources of livelihood.

In the 1930s, rapid construction began on the archipelago, mainly military - airfields and naval bases. The Empire of Japan was preparing to fight for dominance in the Pacific Ocean. The Kuril Islands were to become a springboard for both capturing Soviet Kamchatka and attacking American naval bases(Aleutian Islands). In November 1941, these plans began to be implemented. It was the shelling of the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. After 4 years, the Japanese managed to equip a powerful defense system on the archipelago. All available places for landing on the island were covered by firing points, there was a developed infrastructure underground.
The beginning of the Kuril landing operation
At the Yalta Conference in 1945, the Allies decided to take Korea under joint guardianship, and recognized the right of the USSR to the Kuril Islands. The United States even offered to help take possession of the archipelago. As part of the secret Hula Project, the Pacific Fleet received American landing craft.
On April 12, 1945, Roosevelt died, and the attitude towards the Soviet Union changed, as the new President Harry Truman was wary of the USSR. The new American government did not deny possible military operations in the Far East, and the Kuril Islands would become a convenient springboard for military bases. Truman sought to prevent the transfer of the archipelago to the USSR.

Due to the tense international situation, Alexander Vasilevsky (commander-in-chief of the Soviet troops in the Far East) received an order: “using the favorable situation that developed during the offensive in Manchuria and Sakhalin Island, take the northern group of the Kuril Islands. Vasilevsky did not know that such a decision was made due to the deterioration of relations between the US and the USSR. It was ordered to form a battalion of marines within 24 hours. The battalion was led by Timofey Pochtarev. There was little time to prepare the operation - only a day, the key to success was the close interaction of the forces of the army and navy. Marshal Vasilevsky decided to appoint Major General Alexei Gnechko as commander of the operation. According to the memoirs of Gnechko: “I was given complete freedom of initiative. And this is quite understandable: the command of the front and the fleet was a thousand kilometers away, and it was impossible to count on the immediate coordination and approval of my every order and order.

Naval artilleryman Timofey Pochtarev received his first combat experience back in the Finnish War. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he fought in the Baltic, defended Leningrad, and participated in the battles for Narva. He dreamed of returning to Leningrad. But fate and command decreed otherwise. The officer was assigned to Kamchatka, to the headquarters of the coastal defense of the Petropavlovsk naval base.
The most difficult was the first stage of the operation - the capture of the island of Shumshu. It was considered the northern gate of the Kuril archipelago, and Japan paid Special attention fortification of Shumshu. 58 pillboxes and pillboxes could shoot through every meter of the coast. In total, there were 100 artillery installations, 30 machine guns, 80 tanks and 8.5 thousand soldiers on the island of Shumshu. Another 15 thousand were neighboring island Paramushir, and they could be transferred to Shumshu within a few hours.

The Kamchatka defensive region consisted of only one rifle division. Units were dispersed throughout the peninsula. All in one day, August 16, they had to be delivered to the port. In addition, it was impossible to transport the entire division through the first Kuril Strait - there were not enough ships. Soviet troops and sailors had to act in extremely difficult conditions. First, land on a well-fortified island, and then fight a superior enemy without military equipment. All hope was on the “surprise factor”.

The first stage of the operation

It was decided to land the Soviet troops between Capes Kokutai and Kotomari, and then capture the center of defense of the island, the Kataoka naval base, with a blow. In order to mislead the enemy and disperse forces, they planned a diversion strike - a landing in Nanagawa Bay. The day before the operation began shelling the island. The fire could not cause much harm, but General Gnechko set other goals - to force the Japanese to withdraw their troops from the coastal territory where the landing was planned landing troops. Part of the paratroopers under the leadership of Pochtarev became the core of the detachment. By nightfall, the loading onto the ships was completed. On the morning of August 17, the ships left Avacha Bay.

The commanders were instructed to observe radio silence and blackout. Weather were difficult - fog, because of this, the ships arrived at the place only at 4 am, although they planned at 11 pm. Because of the fog, some ships could not come close to the island, and the remaining meters of the Marines sailed, with weapons and equipment.
The advance detachment reached the island in full force, and at first they did not meet any resistance. Yesterday, the Japanese leadership withdrew troops deep into the island to protect them from shelling. Using the surprise factor, Major Pochtarev decided to capture enemy batteries at Cape Katamari with the help of his companies. He led this attack personally.

The second stage of the operation

The terrain was flat, so it was impossible to approach imperceptibly. The Japanese opened fire, the advance stopped. It remained to wait for the rest of the paratroopers. With great difficulty and under Japanese fire, the bulk of the battalion was brought to Shumshu, and the offensive began. The Japanese troops had by this time recovered from the panic. Major Pochtarev ordered to stop frontal attacks, and assault groups were formed in a combat situation.

After several hours of battle, almost all the pillboxes and bunkers of the Japanese were destroyed. The outcome of the battle was decided by the personal courage of Major Pochtarev. He stood up to his full height and led the soldiers behind him. Almost immediately he was wounded, but did not pay attention to her. The Japanese began to retreat. But almost immediately the troops pulled up again, and began a counterattack. General Fusaki ordered to recapture the dominant heights at any cost, then cut the landing forces into pieces and throw them back to the sea. Under the cover of artillery, 60 tanks went into battle. Ship strikes came to the rescue, and the destruction of the tanks began. Those vehicles that could break through were destroyed by the forces of the Marines. But the ammunition was already running out, and then horses came to the aid of the Soviet paratroopers. They were allowed to swim ashore, loaded with ammunition. Despite heavy shelling, most of the horses survived and delivered ammunition.

From the island of Paramushir, the Japanese transferred forces of 15 thousand people. The weather improved and Soviet aircraft were able to fly out on a combat mission. The pilots attacked the piers and piers where the Japanese were unloading. While the forward detachment repelled the Japanese counteroffensive, the main forces launched a flank attack. By August 18, the island's defense system was completely broken. There was a turning point in the battle. When Soviet ships entered the second Kuril Strait, the Japanese suddenly opened fire in the crossfire. Then the Japanese kamikaze went on the attack. The pilot threw his car directly at the ship, firing continuously. But the Soviet anti-aircraft gunners thwarted the Japanese feat.

Upon learning of this, Gnechko again ordered to go on the attack - the Japanese hung out white flags. General Fusaki said that he had not given the order to fire on the ships and proposed to return to the discussion of the disarmament act. Fusaki fidgeted, but the general agreed to personally sign the disarmament act. He avoided even uttering the word "surrender" in every possible way, because for him, as a samurai, it was humiliating.

The garrisons of Urup, Shikotan, Kunashir and Paramushir capitulated without putting up resistance. It came as a surprise to the whole world that Soviet troops in just one month they occupied the Kuril Islands. Truman approached Stalin with a request to locate American military bases, but was refused. Stalin understood that the US would try to gain a foothold if they got the territory. And he turned out to be right: the United States immediately after the war, Truman made every effort to include Japan in its sphere of influence. On September 8, 1951, a peace treaty was signed in San Francisco between Japan and the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. The Japanese abandoned all conquered territories, including Korea. According to the text of the treaty, the Ryukyu archipelago was transferred to the UN, in fact, the Americans established their own protectorate. Japan also renounced the Kuril Islands, but the text of the agreement did not say that the Kuril Islands were transferred to the USSR. Andrei Gromyko, Deputy Foreign Minister (at that time), refused to put his signature on a document with such wording. The Americans refused to amend the peace treaty. This is how a legal incident turned out: de jure they ceased to belong to Japan, but their status was never fixed.
In 1946 northern islands The Kuril archipelago became part of the South Sakhalin region. And it was undeniable.

TASS-DOSIER. On December 15, 2016, the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Japan begins. It is assumed that one of the topics during his talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be the question of ownership of the Kuril Islands.

Japan is currently putting forward territorial claims on the Russian islands Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and a group of small islands Malaya Kuril ridge(Japanese name Habomai).

The TASS-DOSIER editors have prepared material on the history of this problem and attempts to solve it.

background

The Kuril archipelago is a chain of islands between Kamchatka and the Japanese island of Hokkaido. It is formed by two ridges. The largest of the islands of the Great Kuril ridge are Iturup, Paramushir, Kunashir. Most big Island Small Kuril Ridge - Shikotan.

Initially, the islands were inhabited by the Ainu tribes. The first information about the Kuril Islands was received by the Japanese during the expedition of 1635-1637. In 1643 they were surveyed by the Dutch (led by Martin de Vries). The first Russian expedition (led by V.V. Atlasov) reached the northern part of the Kuriles in 1697. In 1786, by decree of Catherine II, the Kuril archipelago was included in the Russian Empire.

On February 7, 1855, Japan and Russia signed the Shimodsky Treaty, according to which Iturup, Kunashir and the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge were transferred to Japan, and the rest of the Kuriles were recognized as Russian. Sakhalin was declared a joint possession - an "undivided" territory. However, some unsettled questions about the status of Sakhalin led to conflicts between Russian and Japanese merchants and sailors. The contradictions of the parties were resolved in 1875 with the signing of the St. Petersburg Treaty on the exchange of territories. In accordance with it, Russia transferred all the Kuril Islands to Japan, and Japan renounced claims to Sakhalin.

On September 5, 1905, as a result of the Russo-Japanese War, the Treaty of Portsmouth was signed, according to which part of Sakhalin south of the 50th parallel passed into the possession of Japan.

return of the islands

At the final stage of the Second World War, during the Yalta Conference in February 1945, the USSR named the return of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands among the conditions for the start of hostilities against Japan. This decision was enshrined in the Yalta Agreement between the USSR, the USA and Great Britain of February 11, 1945 ("Crimean Agreement of the Three Great Powers on the Far East"). On August 9, 1945, the USSR entered the war against Japan. From August 18 to September 1, 1945, Soviet troops carried out the Kuril landing operation, which led to the surrender Japanese garrisons on the archipelago.

On September 2, 1945, Japan signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender, accepting the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. According to the document, Japanese sovereignty was limited to the islands of Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Hokkaido, as well as less large islands Japanese archipelago.

On January 29, 1946, the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in Japan, American General Douglas MacArthur, notified the Japanese government of the exclusion of the Kuril Islands from the territory of the country. On February 2, 1946, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Kuril Islands were included in the USSR.

According to the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951, concluded between the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition and Japan, Tokyo renounced all rights, titles and claims to the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. However, the Soviet delegation did not sign this document, since it did not stipulate the question of the withdrawal of the occupying troops from the territory of Japan. In addition, the treaty did not spell out which particular islands of the Kuril archipelago were discussed and in whose favor Japan refuses them.

This was the main reason for the existing territorial problem, which is still the main obstacle to the conclusion of a peace treaty between Russia and Japan.

The essence of the disagreement

The principal position of the USSR and Russia was and is that "belonging to the southern Kuril Islands (Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Khabomai) Russian Federation is based on the universally recognized results of the Second World War and the unshakable post-war international legal basis, including the UN Charter. Thus, Russian sovereignty over them has a corresponding international legal form and is beyond doubt" (statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry dated February 7, 2015).

Japan, referring to the Shimodsky Treaty of 1855, claims that Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and a number of small islands never belonged to the Russian Empire and considers their inclusion in the USSR illegal. In addition, according to the Japanese side, these islands are not part of the Kuril archipelago and therefore they do not fall under the term "Kuril Islands", which was used in the San Francisco Treaty of 1951. Currently, in Japanese political terminology disputed islands commonly referred to as the "Northern Territories".

Declaration of 1956

In 1956, the USSR and Japan signed a Joint Declaration that formally declared the end of the war and restored bilateral diplomatic relations. In it, the USSR agreed to transfer the island of Shikotan and the uninhabited islands to Japan (reserving Iturup and Kunashir) after the conclusion of a full-fledged peace treaty. The declaration was ratified by the parliaments of the two states.

However, in 1960 the Japanese government agreed to sign a security treaty with the United States, which provided for the maintenance of the American military presence on Japanese territory. In response, the USSR annulled the obligations assumed in 1956. At the same time, the Soviet Union stipulated the transfer of the islands by the fulfillment by Japan of two conditions - the signing of a peace treaty and the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country's territory.

Until the early 1990s. the Soviet side did not mention the 1956 declaration, although Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka tried to return to discussing it during his visit to Moscow in 1973 (the first Soviet-Japanese summit).

Intensified dialogue in the 1990s

The situation began to change with the beginning of perestroika in the 1980s, the USSR recognized the existence of a territorial problem. Following the visit of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to Japan in April 1991, the joint communique included a provision on the intention of the parties to continue negotiations on the normalization of relations and on a peaceful settlement, including territorial issues.

The presence of the territorial problem was also confirmed in the Tokyo Declaration, signed following negotiations between Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa in October 1993. The document recorded the desire of the parties to resolve the issue of territorial affiliation disputed islands.

In the Moscow Declaration (November 1998), President Yeltsin and Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi "confirmed their determination to make every effort to conclude a peace treaty by the year 2000." Then the Russian side for the first time expressed the opinion that it is necessary to create conditions and a favorable atmosphere for "joint economic and other activities" in the South Kuriles without prejudice to the legal positions of both sides.

Modern stage

In 2008, Japanese politicians began to introduce the term "illegally occupied northern territories" in relation to the islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Khabomai. In June 2009, the Japanese Diet passed amendments to the Law on Special Measures to Promote the Solution of the "Northern Territories Problem", in accordance with which Japanese government agencies are required to make every effort to return the "Japanese ancestral lands" as soon as possible.

Visits to the islands by top Russian officials provoke a negative reaction in Tokyo (Dmitry Medvedev visited the islands in 2010 as president, in 2012 and 2015 as prime minister; the first two times he was in Kunashir, the last in Iturup). Japanese leaders periodically make "inspections of the northern territories" from an airplane or boat (the first such inspection was made by Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki in 1981).

The territorial issue is regularly discussed at Russian-Japanese talks. It was especially often raised by the administration of Shinzo Abe, who again took over as prime minister in 2012. However, it has not yet been possible to finally bring positions closer together.

In March 2012, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stated that on the territorial issue it was necessary "to achieve an acceptable compromise or something like a hikiwake" ("draw", a term from judo). In May 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Japanese Minister Shinzo Abe agreed on the need to develop dialogue in a "constructive manner, without emotional outbursts, public controversy" and agreed on a "new approach" to solving bilateral problems, but the details of the agreements were not reported.

Briefly, the history of the "belonging" of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island is as follows.

1.In period 1639-1649. Russian Cossack detachments led by Moskovitinov, Kolobov, Popov explored and began to explore Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. At the same time, Russian pioneers repeatedly swim to the island of Hokkaido, where they are peacefully met by local natives of the Ainu people. The Japanese appeared on this island a century later, after which they exterminated and partially assimilated the Ainu.

2.B 1701 Cossack constable Vladimir Atlasov reported to Peter I about the "subordination" of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands to the Russian crown, leading to the "wonderful Nipon kingdom."

3.B 1786. by order of Catherine II, a register of Russian possessions in the Pacific Ocean was produced, bringing the register to the attention of all European states as a declaration of Russia's rights to these possessions, including Sakhalin and the Kuriles.

4.B 1792. By decree of Catherine II, the entire ridge of the Kuril Islands (both Northern and Southern), as well as Sakhalin Island officially included in Russian Empire.

5. As a result of the defeat of Russia in the Crimean War 1854—1855 gg. under pressure England and France Russia forced was concluded with Japan on February 7, 1855. Treaty of Shimoda, through which four southern islands of the Kuril chain were transferred to Japan: Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup. Sakhalin remained undivided between Russia and Japan. At the same time, however, the right of Russian ships to enter Japanese ports was recognized, and "permanent peace and sincere friendship between Japan and Russia" was proclaimed.

6.May 7, 1875 under the Petersburg Treaty, the tsarist government as a very strange act of "good will" makes incomprehensible further territorial concessions to Japan and transfers to it 18 more small islands of the archipelago. In return, Japan finally recognized Russia's right to the whole of Sakhalin. It is for this agreement referred most of all by the Japanese today, slyly silent that the first article of this treaty reads: "... and henceforth eternal peace and friendship will be established between Russia and Japan" ( the Japanese themselves violated this treaty in the 20th century repeatedly). Many Russian statesmen of those years sharply condemned this “exchange” treaty as short-sighted and harmful to the future of Russia, comparing it with the same short-sightedness as the sale of Alaska to the United States of America in 1867 for next to nothing (7 billion 200 million dollars). ), saying that "now we are biting our own elbows."

7. After the Russo-Japanese War 1904—1905 gg. followed another stage of humiliation of Russia. By Portsmouth peace treaty concluded on September 5, 1905, Japan received the southern part of Sakhalin, all the Kuril Islands, and also took away from Russia the right to lease the naval bases of Port Arthur and Dalniy. When Russian diplomats reminded the Japanese that all these provisions are contrary to the 1875 treaty g., those arrogantly and arrogantly answered : « War cancels all treaties. You have failed and let's proceed from the current situation ". Reader, remember this boastful declaration of the invader!

8. Next comes the time of punishment of the aggressor for his eternal greed and territorial expansion. Signed by Stalin and Roosevelt at the Yalta Conference February 10, 1945 G. " Agreement on the Far East"It was envisaged:" ... 2-3 months after the surrender of Germany, the Soviet Union will enter the war against Japan subject to the return to the Soviet Union of the southern part of Sakhalin, all the Kuril Islands, as well as the restoration of the lease of Port Arthur and Dalny(these built and equipped hands of Russian workers, soldiers and sailors back in the late XIX - early XX centuries. very comfortable on their own geographic location naval bases were donated to "fraternal" China. But these bases were so necessary for our fleet in the 60-80s of revelry " cold war"and intense combat service of the fleet in remote areas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. I had to equip the forward base Cam Ranh in Vietnam for the fleet from scratch).

9.B July 1945 g. in accordance with Potsdam Declaration heads of the victorious countries the following verdict was adopted regarding the future of Japan: "The sovereignty of Japan shall be limited to four islands: Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu, and such as WE SPECIFY". August 14, 1945 the Japanese government has publicly confirmed the acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, and on September 2 Japan unconditionally surrendered. Article 6 of the Instrument of Surrender reads: "... the Japanese government and its successors will faithfully fulfill the terms of the Potsdam Declaration to give such orders and take such actions as the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Powers shall require in order to carry out this declaration...”. January 29, 1946 Commander-in-Chief General MacArthur DEMANDED by Directive No. 677: "The Kuril Islands, including Habomai and Shikotan, are excluded from the jurisdiction of Japan." And only after that legal effect, a Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 2, 1946 was issued, which read: “ All lands, bowels and waters of Sakhalin and the Kul Islands are the property of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ". Thus, the Kuril Islands (both Northern and Southern), as well as about. Sakhalin, legally and were returned to Russia in accordance with international law . This could put an end to the "problem" of the Southern Kuriles and stop all further verbiage. But the story of the Kuriles continues.

10. After the end of World War II US occupied Japan and turned it into their military foothold in the Far East. In September 1951 USA, UK and a number of other states (total 49) signed San Francisco Peace Treaty with Japan, prepared in violation of the Potsdam agreements without the participation of the Soviet Union . Therefore, our government did not join the treaty. However, Art. 2, chapter II of this treaty, it is fixed in black and white: “ Japan renounces all legal grounds and claims ... to the Kuril Islands and that part of Sakhalin and the islands adjacent to it over which Japan acquired sovereignty under the Treaty of Portsmouth of September 5, 1905. However, even after this, the story with the Kuriles does not end.

October 11.19 1956 d. the government of the Soviet Union, following the principles of friendship with neighboring states, signed with the Japanese government joint declaration, according to which the state of war between the USSR and Japan ended and between them peace, good neighborliness and friendly relations. When signing the Declaration as a gesture of good will and no more promised to give Japan the two southernmost islands of Shikotan and Habomai, but only after the conclusion of a peace treaty between the countries.

12. However The United States after 1956 imposed a number of military agreements on Japan, replaced in 1960 by a single "Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security", according to which US troops remained on its territory, and thereby Japanese islands turned into a springboard for aggression against the Soviet Union. In connection with this situation, the Soviet government announced to Japan that it was impossible to transfer the promised two islands to it.. And in the same statement it was emphasized that according to the declaration of October 19, 1956, "peace, good neighborliness and friendly relations" between the countries were established. Therefore, an additional peace treaty may not be required.
In this way, the problem of the Southern Kuriles does not exist . It's been decided a long time ago. And de jure and de facto the islands belong to Russia . In this regard, it might be to remind the Japanese of their arrogant statement in 1905 g., and also indicate that Japan was defeated in World War II and therefore has no rights to any territory, even to her ancestral lands, except for those granted to her by the victors.
And our foreign ministry just as harshly, or in a milder diplomatic form it would be necessary to declare this to the Japanese and put an end to this, FOREVER stopping all negotiations and even conversations on this non-existent and humiliating problem of the dignity and authority of Russia.
And again the "territorial question"

However, starting from 1991 , repeatedly held meetings of the President Yeltsin and members of the Russian government, diplomats with government circles in Japan, during which the Japanese side every time importunately raises the question of the "Northern Japanese Territories".
Thus, in the Tokyo Declaration 1993 signed by the President of Russia and the Prime Minister of Japan, was again acknowledged the "existence of the territorial issue", and both sides promised to "make efforts" to resolve it. The question arises - could our diplomats really know that such declarations should not be signed, because the recognition of the existence of a “territorial issue” is contrary to the national interests of Russia (Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “ Treason»)??

As for the peace treaty with Japan, it is de facto and de jure in accordance with the Soviet-Japanese Declaration of October 19, 1956. not really needed. The Japanese do not want to conclude an additional official peace treaty, and there is no need. He Japan needs more, as the side that was defeated in the Second World War, rather than Russia.

BUT citizens of Russia should know the “problem” of the South Kuriles, sucked from the finger , her exaggeration, periodic hype in the media around her and the litigation of the Japanese - there a consequence of Japan's illegitimate claims in violation of the obligations it has assumed, to strictly comply with the international obligations recognized and signed by it. And such a constant desire of Japan to reconsider the ownership of many territories in the Asia-Pacific region pervades Japanese politics throughout the 20th century.

Why the Japanese, one might say, have seized the South Kuriles with their teeth and are trying to seize them again illegally? But because the economic and military-strategic importance of this region is extremely great for Japan, and even more so for Russia. it an area of ​​colossal seafood riches(fish, living creatures, marine animals, vegetation, etc.), deposits of minerals, and rare earth minerals, energy sources, mineral raw materials.

For example, January 29 of this year. short information slipped through the Vesti (RTR) program: a a large deposit of the rare earth metal Rhenium(75th element in the periodic table, and the only one in the world ).
Scientists allegedly calculated that it would be enough to invest only 35 thousand dollars, but the profit from the extraction of this metal will allow to bring the whole of Russia out of the crisis in 3-4 years . Apparently, the Japanese know about this and that is why they are so persistently attacking the Russian government with a demand to give them the islands.

It must be said that for 50 years of ownership of the islands, the Japanese have not built or created anything capital on them, except for light temporary buildings. Our border guards had to rebuild barracks and other buildings at the outposts. The entire economic "development" of the islands, which the Japanese are shouting to the whole world today, consisted in the predatory robbery of the riches of the islands . During the Japanese "development" from the islands rookeries of fur seals, habitats of sea otters disappeared . Part of the population of these animals our Kuril residents have already restored .

Today economic situation this whole island zone, like the whole of Russia, is heavy. Of course, significant measures are needed to support this region and take care of the Kuril people. According to the calculations of a group of deputies of the State Duma, it is possible to extract on the islands, as reported in the program "Parliamentary Hour" (RTR) on January 31 of this year, only fish products up to 2000 tons per year, with a net profit of about 3 billion dollars.
In military terms, the ridge of the Northern and Southern Kuriles with Sakhalin constitutes a complete closed infrastructure of the strategic defense of the Far East and the Pacific Fleet. They enclose the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and turn it into an inland one. This is the area deployment and combat positions of our strategic submarines.

Without the South Kuriles, we will get a "hole" in this defense. Control over the Kuriles ensures free access of the fleet to the ocean, because until 1945 our Pacific Fleet, starting from 1905, was practically locked up in its bases in Primorye. The means of detection on the islands provide long-range detection of air and surface enemy, the organization of anti-submarine defense of the approaches to the passages between the islands.

In conclusion, one should note such a feature in the relationship of the Russia-Japan-US triangle. It is the United States that confirms the "legitimacy" of the ownership of the islands of Japan in spite of all international treaties they have signed .
If so, then our Ministry of Foreign Affairs has every right, in response to the claims of the Japanese, to propose that they demand the return of Japan to its "southern territories" - the Caroline, Marshall and Mariana Islands.
These archipelagos former colonies of Germany, captured by Japan in 1914. Japan's dominion over these islands was sanctioned by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. After the defeat of Japan, all these archipelagos came under US control.. So Why shouldn't Japan demand that the United States return the islands to her? Or lack of spirit?
As you can see, there is explicit double standard in Japanese foreign policy.

And one more fact that clarifies the general picture of the return of our Far Eastern territories in September 1945 and the military significance of this region. The Kuril operation of the 2nd Far Eastern Front and the Pacific Fleet (August 18 - September 1, 1945) provided for the liberation of all the Kuril Islands and the capture of the island of Hokkaido.

The accession of this island to Russia would be of great operational and strategic importance, since complete isolation of the "fence" would be ensured Sea of ​​Okhotsk our island territories: the Kuriles - Hokkaido - Sakhalin. But Stalin canceled this part of the operation, saying that with the liberation of the Kuriles and Sakhalin, we had resolved all our territorial issues in the Far East. BUT we don't need foreign land . In addition, the capture of Hokkaido will cost us a lot of blood, unnecessary losses of sailors and paratroopers in the very last days of the war.

Stalin here showed himself to be a real statesman, caring about the country, its soldiers, and not an invader, coveting foreign territories that were very accessible in that situation for the capture.

Kurile Islands- a chain of islands between the Kamchatka Peninsula and the island of Hokkaido, separating the Sea of ​​Okhotsk from Pacific Ocean. The length is about 1200 km. total area- 15.6 thousand km. To the south of them is the state border of the Russian Federation with Japan. The islands form two parallel ridges: the Greater Kuril and the Lesser Kuril. Includes 56 islands. Have important military-strategic and economic importance.

Geographically, the Kuril Islands are part of Sakhalin region Russia. southern islands archipelago - Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, as well as the islands MalayaKurilridges.

On the islands and in the coastal zone, industrial reserves of non-ferrous metal ores, mercury, natural gas, oil. On the island of Iturup, in the area of ​​the Kudryavy volcano, there is the richest known mineral deposit in the world. rhenium(rare metal, the cost of 1 kg is 5000 US dollars). Thereby Russia ranks third in the world in terms of natural reserves of rhenium(after Chile and the USA). The total resources of gold in the Kuril Islands are estimated at 1867 tons, silver - 9284 tons, titanium - 39.7 million tons, iron - 273 million tons.

The territorial conflict between Russia and Japan has a long history:

After the defeat in 1905 in Russo-Japanese War Russia handed over the southern part of Sakhalin to Japan;

In February 1945, the Soviet Union promised the US and Great Britain to start a war with Japan on the condition that Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands be returned to it;

February 2, 1946 Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on education in the territory South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands of the South Sakhalin Region as part of Khabarovsk Territory RSFSR;

In 1956, the Soviet Union and Japan adopted a Joint Treaty officially ending the war between the two states and transferring the islands of the Lesser Kuril Range to Japan. Signing the agreement, however, did not work out, because it came out that Japan was waiving the rights to Iturup and Kunashir, because of which the United States threatened not to give Japan the island of Okinawa.

Russia's position

The official position of the Russian military-political leadership in 2005 was expressed by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, saying that the ownership of the islands was determined by the results of the Second World War and that in this sense Russia was not going to discuss this issue with anyone. But in 2012, he made a very reassuring statement for the Japanese people, saying that the dispute should be resolved on the basis of a compromise that suits both sides. "Something like hikiwake. Hikiwake is a term from judo, when neither side managed to win," the President explained.

At the same time, the Government of the Russian Federation has repeatedly stated that sovereignty over the southern Kuriles is not subject to discussion, and Russia will strengthen its presence in them, making all the necessary efforts for this. In particular, the Federal Target Program "Socio-Economic Development of the Kuril Islands" is being implemented, thanks to which the former Japanese "Northern Territories" are actively building infrastructure facilities, it is planned to build aquaculture facilities, kindergartens and hospitals.

Japanese position

Every prime minister, every party that won the elections is determined to return the Kuriles. At the same time, there are parties in Japan that claim not only the southern Kuriles, but also all the Kuril Islands up to Kamchatka, as well as the southern part of Sakhalin Island. Also in Japan, a political movement for the return of the "northern territories" is organized, which conducts regular propaganda activities.

At the same time, the Japanese pretend that there is no border with Russia in the Kuril region. The southern Kuril Islands belonging to Russia are shown on all maps and postcards as the territory of Japan. Japanese mayors and police chiefs are appointed to these islands. Children in Japanese schools learn Russian in case the islands are returned to Japan. Moreover, they are taught to show on the map the "northern territories" and juvenile pupils of kindergartens. Thus, the idea that Japan does not end here is supported.

By decision of the Japanese government, starting from February 7, 1982, the country annually celebrates the "Day of the Northern Territories". It was on this day in 1855 that the Shimoda Treaty was concluded, the first Russian-Japanese treaty, according to which the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge went to Japan. On this day, a "nationwide rally for the return of the northern territories" is traditionally held, in which the prime minister and government ministers, parliament deputies from the ruling and opposition political parties, and former residents of the southern part of the Kuriles take part. At the same time, dozens of campaign buses of ultra-right groups with powerful loudspeakers, painted with slogans and under militaristic flags, are leaving on the streets of the Japanese capital, plying between the parliament and the Russian embassy.