Moscow tells Tokyo to “behave decently” over Kuril Islands visits

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has commented on Japan’s efforts to restore visa-free visits to the Kuril Islands, telling TASS that Tokyo should avoid creating additional problems in its relations with Moscow.

According to Zakharova, if Japan wants to address pressing issues, it should refrain from taking steps that could further complicate bilateral relations.

She added that instead of “persistently seeking” the resumption of visa-free visits to the Kuril Islands, Japan should simply “behave decently.”

The dispute between Japan and Russia centres on four islands — Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai Islands — which Japan refers to as the Northern Territories and Russia administers as part of the Kuril Islands

The territorial disagreement has remained a major unresolved issue in Japan-Russia relations and has prevented the two countries from concluding a postwar peace treaty.

Japan and Russia have also maintained special arrangements allowing former Japanese residents and their families to visit the islands, particularly for visits to ancestral graves and former homes.

In 2022, Russia announced the termination of the agreement covering visa-free visits by former Japanese residents, further affecting humanitarian exchanges linked to the disputed islands.

By Jeyhun Aghazada