Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara reprimanded Minister for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs Hitoshi Kikawada over comments he made about the Northern Territories (southern Kuril Islands), Yahoo Japan reported.
On Nov. 8, Kikawada visited Cape Nosappu in Nemuro, Hokkaido, where the Northern Territories are visible. When reporters asked for his impressions, the minister said,
«They are the very edge of Japan, or maybe it’s rude to say the edge, but they are in the east. The same goes for the south, but they are the closest to foreign countries, so I think it’s important to experience it with your own eyes.»
Two days later, during a press conference, reporters asked Kihara whether Kikawada’s remarks suggested official recognition of the Northern Territories as Russian territory. Kihara clarified that the minister’s comments had provoked a mixed reaction because they could lead to misunderstandings, adding that he had urged Kikawada to be more careful in his statements.
In Japan, the term «Northern Territories» refers to the southern Kuril Islands. These include Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and the Habomai islets, over which Tokyo claims sovereignty.
Moscow maintains that the entire island chain was ceded to the Soviet Union after the 1945 Yalta Conference and considers the islands an integral part of Russia. Due to the dispute, Japan and Russia have never formally signed a peace treaty to end World War II.
