Second Japanese delegation heads to Kuril Islands to explore business prospects

TOKYO, October 26. /TASS/. The second delegation of 54 Japanese officials and members of the country’s business community has set off to Russia’s Kuril Islands to look into opportunities for carrying out joint economic projects, the Japanese Foreign Ministry, which is coordinating the trip, told TASS. The delegates are traveling onboard the Etopirika motor vessel from Nemuro City in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The group, led by PM Special Adviser Eiichi Hasegawa, is scheduled to reach the islands by October 30. The goal is to focus on the projects in five areas, namely aquaculture, wind power, waste processing, tourism and the creation of greenhouse facilities. The delegation consists of representatives from Japan’s ministries and agencies, the Hokkaido administration, and specialists from companies showing interest in the projects with Russia. "On October 27, the group will first visit the Kunashir Island and carry out research work there," the spokesperson said. "On Saturday, the group will arrive on the Island of Iturup and will later head off to Shikotan. After completing its work there, the delegation will again return to Kunashir, and will return to the point of its departure, the Nemuro port on Japan’s Hokkaido Island." When announcing the trip in Tokyo on October 20, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said that Tokyo planned to "create an image of the future" of the Southern Kuril Islands together with Russia. "We would like to find a mutually acceptable way to solve the problem and sign a peace treaty on this basis," the minister said. A delegation of 69 Japanese government officials and businessmen first visited the Kunashir, Iturup and Shikotan islands of the South Kuril Archipelago on June 27 - July 1. The delegation scrutinized the infrastructure facilities and explored the possibilities for implementing joint projects. They visited 64 facilities, including hospitals, power stations, sports centers and a hotel currently under construction. The decision to give the go-ahead to these trips came following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok on September 7. The sides view joint economic activities on the South Kuril Islands as an important step towards a possible peace treaty. Japanese analysts say Tokyo and Moscow have not yet reached common ground on how to implement these projects. Moscow believes that this is important to be done under the Russian legislation, while Tokyo suggests creating a special legal framework on these territories. Read more