Russia will endeavor to develop relations with Japan - Lavrov

TOKYO, October 17. /TASS/. Moscow will make efforts to build up cooperation with Japan in various areas, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a message to the participants of the Russian-Japanese forum in Tokyo. The forum that opened on Monday is devoted to the 60th anniversary of restoring diplomatic relations between the two countries after signing the Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956. Lavrov’s message was read out by Russia’s Ambassador to Japan Yevgeny Afanasyev. "The signing of a declaration that ended the state of war and restored diplomatic relations between the countries became a major historic event and an important milestone on the path of steady development of the relations," the message read. "For our part, we plan to make further efforts to step up bilateral cooperation, in particular, in the area of political, cultural, scientific and economic exchanges," it said. Russia and Japan have no peace treaty signed after World War II. The settlement of this problem inherited by Russia’s diplomacy from the Soviet Union is hampered by the years-long dispute over the four islands of Russia’s Southern Kurils - Shikotan, Habomai, Iturup and Kunashir, which Japan calls its northern territories. After World War II, in September 1945, Japan signed its surrender, and in February 1946, the Kuril Islands were declared territories of the Soviet Union. In 1956, the USSR and Japan signed a Joint Declaration thus re-establishing bilateral diplomatic, trade and other kinds of relations after World War II. According to the document, the USSR unilaterally expressed readiness to return the Shikotan and Hamobai islands as a gesture of good will, but only after signing a peace treaty. This deal was rejected by Japan that, in the context of the Cold War, claimed the Kunashir and Iturup islands as well. In early September, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met in Russia’s Vladivostok during the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) and agreed to step up bilateral talks. They decided to meet in Peru at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November. In December, the Russian leader is expected to pay a visit to Japan. Read more