Japan will make efforts to strengthen bilateral relations with Russia, including by ending a territorial dispute and signing a peace treaty, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Monday during an address to lawmakers
TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2021) Japan will make efforts to strengthen bilateral relations with Russia, including by ending a territorial dispute and signing a peace treaty, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Monday during an address to lawmakers.
Japan claims four islands in Russia's Kuril Island chain, which they refer to as the northern territories.
"It is necessary to put an end to the problem of the northern territories, and not leave it for future generations," Suga said, adding that Tokyo will make efforts to develop relations with Moscow, including by "signing a peace agreement."
In addition, Suga reiterated that Tokyo's foreign policy is centered around the Japan-US alliance and expressed a desire to hold a meeting with US President-elect Joe Biden as soon as possible.
The Kuril Islands dispute has been souring Moscow-Tokyo relations for decades and serves as the main stumbling block to signing a permanent� peace treaty since the end of World War Two. The group of four islands, namely Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai, is collectively referred to as the Southern Kurils by Russia and the Northern Territories by Japan. Russia insists that its sovereignty over the islands, which became a part of the USSR after WWII, is undisputed.
