Tokyo has made it clear that it was yet not ready to recognize the results of the Second World War, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday when speaking about the prospects of concluding a peace treaty between Russia and Japan.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th December, 2018) Tokyo has made it clear that it was yet not ready to recognize the results of the Second World War, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday when speaking about the prospects of concluding a peace treaty between Russia and Japan."When we speak on the basis of the declaration of 1956, it means absolute unconditional recognition of the outcome of the Second World War by Japan. So far, our Japanese colleagues make it clear this will not work," Lavrov told Komsomolskaya Pravda radio broadcaster.
Lavrov recalled that the Soviet Union and Japan had signed a declaration in 1956. Once the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia was recognized as the only successor state and assumed all obligations.
According to Lavrov, Japan concluded an agreement with the United States on security guarantees in 1960, according to which US bases can be set up on any part of Japan, after which the United States deployed the Asian-Pacific segment of its global anti-missile defense system in Japan.
"Therefore, when it is said on the basis of a declaration, it cannot be ignored that the events of 1960 have occurred since then and now, in term of the US military presence on the Japanese islands, pose serious threats to our security. We formulated it for our Japanese colleagues and we are waiting for their response," the minister concluded.
Japan and Russia have been struggling to conclude a permanent peace treaty for more than seven decades, with the negotiation making little progress over the years because of the pending Kuril Islands dispute. Both countries claim the islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Iturup and Kunashir. Russia insists that the islands were transferred to the Soviet Union after the end of the war and have been an integral part of Russia ever since.
In 1956, the two sides signed a Joint Declaration that provided for the restoration of bilateral relations after the war and stipulated that Japan and the Soviet Union would continue to make efforts toward signing a permanent peace treaty and settling the island dispute.
On November 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to advance negotiations on a peace treaty based on the 1956 Soviet-Japanese joint declaration, the only document recognized by both countries. Among other things, the declaration stipulates that Japan will regain control over Habomai and Shikotan islands following the conclusion of the peace treaty.
