Russia has denounced the Japanese protest following Russian Prime Minister – Mikhail Mishustin’s visit to a disputed land on Kuril Island
Russia has denounced the Japanese protest following Russian Prime Minister – Mikhail Mishustin’s visit to a disputed land on Kuril Island today, i.e., Monday, July 26, 2021, which both the countries claim to be a part of their territory.
Mishustin visited a hospital and a fish plant on Iturup, one of the four Southernmost Kuril Islands. He told the plant workers that the Russian Government is considering creating a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) on the islands, where the business and investors would be free from most of the taxes and customs duties.
The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands is a volcanic archipelago part of Sakhalin Oblast in the Russian Far East. It stretches approximately 1,300 km Northeast from Hokkaido in Japan to Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many minor rocks.
Though all of the islands lie under Russian administration, Japan claims that 4 Southernmost islands, including (Iturup and Kunashir), are part of its territory. It also claims Shikotan and the Habomai islets as a part of its territory. The disputed islands are known in Japan as the country’s “Northern Territories. The territorial dispute dates back to World War II when the-then Soviet Union seized them at the end of the war and between August 18-31, 1945. The Soviets expelled the entire Japanese civilian population of roughly 17,000 by 1946.
Announcing the SEZ, Mishustin said, “This could be a good solution for investors, including the ones in the West, for Japan also, which, if interested, can create jobs here. This special regime will allow the intensification of economic activity.”
Mishustin also said that he would discuss the proposal with the Russian President – Vladimir Putin. The Former Japanese Prime Minister – Shinzo Abe spent a lot of time and effort in the hope of negotiating a solution during his nearly eight years in office but scored little progress.
This visit of Mishustin didn’t go down well with Japan and a top Japanese Government Spokesman said that Tokyo is lodging an official diplomatic protest over the visit by Mikhail Mishustin to one of four disputed islands. Japan has also summoned the Russian Ambassador over the matter. In response, Russia also summoned the Japanese Ambassador.
Speaking on the occasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Spokesman – Dmitry Peskov said, “As for the prime minister’s trip to Iturup Island, he visits those Russian provinces that he sees fit.”
The kremlin said that while it saw nothing wrong in Prime Minister’s visit to the disputed island, it also said it wants to improve relations with Japan.
