Japan, Russia plan set up working group to study projects in southern Kuril Islands

TOKYO, October 31. /TASS/. The government of Japan and the administration of the Sakhalin region agreed to create a working group to work out the issue of joint economic activities in the southern part of the Kuril Islands, Special Adviser to the Japanese Prime Minister Eiichi Hasegawa said on Tuesday. He headed the second delegation of Japanese officials and businessmen, which, according to Kyodo news agency, returned on Tuesday from a trip to the southern part of the Kuril Islands, where they studied possible joint business projects. The group was supposed to return to Nemuro on Monday, but could not do it because of bad weather and spent the night on a ship in the sea. Governor of the Sakhalin region Oleg Kozhemyako said after a visit of the second delegation of Japanese officials that Russian-Japanese projects on the territory of the Kuril Islands, worked out during the two business missions, will be implemented in 2019. "We have agreed that the leaders of the working groups for each direction will develop common approaches, prepare feasibility studies for specific projects. At the next meeting, with will be held in a few months, the outlines of future projects will be set more clearly. I believe that 2018 will be devoted to design, and in 2019 part of our joint undertakings will be implemented," the press service of the Sakhalin region quoted Kozhemyako. The second Japanese business mission visited the Kuril Islands on October 27-30 to work out joint economic projects on the islands of Iturup, Shikotan, Kunashir. The delegation worked at local fisheries, facilities in the field of energy, tourism, waste processing and agriculture. Russian fishermen working from the islands said they were ready to set up a joint venture to grow valuable aquatic biological resources. The Japanese side showed great interest in organizing hiking trails around the islands, campsites. Agriculture is another promising undertaking - the Japanese party offered new technologies for construction of greenhouses and their operation. The parties also talked about using wind turbine power plants, as well as recycling solid household waste, a timely issue for remote islands. The previous visit of the Japanese delegation consisting of 69 people took place from June 27 to July 1, when 64 objects were inspected at Kunashir, Iturupe and Shikotan islands. Read more