Tokyo, 22 March, /AJMEDIA
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Monday it will suspend negotiations for a post-war peace treaty with Japan, in an apparent reaction to Tokyo’s participation in sanctions by the United States and European countries against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
The ministry also announced that Moscow will halt a visa-free program which allows former Japanese residents to periodically visit the Russian-controlled, Japan-claimed islands off Hokkaido, while indicating that Russia will withdraw from joint economic activities on the disputed islands.
With Russia’s announcement, the peace-treaty talks are likely to be stalled for the time being, as Tokyo has unveiled a series of sanctions against Moscow including stripping the country of its “most-favored nation” trade status and freezing assets owned by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian ministry said in a statement that the suspension of the peace-treaty negotiations stems from Japan’s unilateral and unfriendly restrictions on relations over the Ukraine situation.
“Under these circumstances, it is impossible to hold discussions on signing of a document which is important to both countries,” the statement said.
Japan’s anti-Russia actions are to be blamed for the deterioration of bilateral relations, the ministry added.
Japan claims the Soviet Union illegally seized the four islands — Kunashiri, Etorofu, Shikotan and the Habomai group of islets — soon after Japan’s surrender in World War II in August 1945, while Moscow argues the move was legitimate.
During a 2018 summit meeting between then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Putin, the two countries reaffirmed they would carry out peace-treaty talks based on a 1956 joint declaration, which states that the two smaller islands — Shikotan and the Habomai islet group — will be handed over to Japan following the conclusion of a peace treaty.
In July 2020, however, Russia’s amended Constitution took effect, with a provision barring Moscow from transferring any of its territory.
The development means that Russia is unlikely to make a compromise with Japan regarding the disputed islands. The decades-long territorial row has prevented the two countries from concluding a peace treaty.
After Russia started a military attack on Ukraine on Feb. 24, Japan joined forces with other Group of Seven industrialized countries in slapping Moscow with severe economic sanctions.
While Japan’s government under Abe had avoided describing the four islands as an integral part of Japanese territory in an apparent effort not to impact the peace-treaty talks with Russia, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida used the phrase at a parliament debate on March 7 following the launch of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Kishida has taken a stance of prioritizing the return of the four islands to Japan in peace-treaty talks with Russia, but negotiations have shown little progress.
The four islands are called the Northern Territories by Japan and the Southern Kurils by Russia.
