Introduction
Conclusion
Introduction
Political conflicts have always played an important and, undoubtedly, ambiguous role in the global diplomatic community. Particularly noteworthy are disputes over the ownership of territories, especially as long-term as the diplomatic conflict between the Russian Federation and Japan over the ownership of the South Kuril Islands. This is what determines relevance this work.
The course work is written in a simple and understandable language for the general public. It has not only theoretical, but also practical value: the material can be used as a reference in preparation for an exam in history or the basics of the theory of international relations on the topic of Russian-Japanese relations.
So, we have set target:
Analyze the existing problem of belonging to the Kuril Islands and suggest possible solutions to this problem.
The goal determined and specific tasks works:
ñ Collect theoretical material on this topic by analyzing and systematizing information;
ñ Form the positions of each side in the diplomatic conflict;
ñ Draw conclusions.
The work is based on the study of monographs on conflictology and diplomacy, historical sources, news and reportage reviews and notes.
In order to facilitate the perception of incoming information, we divided all the work into three stages.
diplomatic conflict Kuril Island
The first stage consisted in the definition of key theoretical concepts (such as conflict, state border, the right to own territory). He formed the conceptual foundation of this work.
At the second stage, we considered the history of Russian-Japanese relations in the issue of the Kuril Islands; the Russo-Japanese conflict itself, its causes, prerequisites, development. We devoted special attention to the present time: we analyzed the state and development of the conflict at the current stage.
At the final stage, conclusions were drawn.
Chapter I. Essence and concepts of diplomatic conflict in the system of international relations
1.1 Definition of conflict and diplomatic conflict
Humanity has been familiar with conflict since its inception. Disputes and wars broke out throughout the historical development of society between tribes, cities, countries, blocs of states. They were generated by religious, cultural, ideological, ethnic, territorial and other contradictions. As the German military theorist and historian K. von Clausewitz noted, the history of the world is the history of wars. And although such a definition of history suffers from a certain absolutization, there is no doubt that the role and place of conflicts in human history are more than significant. The end of the Cold War in 1989 once again gave rise to rosy predictions about the advent of an era of conflict-free existence on the planet. It seemed that with the disappearance of the confrontation between the two superpowers - the USSR and the USA - regional conflicts and the threat of a third world war would sink into oblivion. However, the hopes for a calmer and more comfortable world were once again not destined to come true.
So, from the foregoing, it follows that conflict is the most acute way to resolve contradictions in interests, goals, views, arising in the process of social interaction, consisting in the opposition of the participants in this interaction, and usually accompanied by negative emotions, going beyond the rules and norms. Conflicts are the subject of study of the science of conflictology. Consequently, states that have opposing points of view on the subject of the dispute participate in an international conflict.
When countries try to resolve a conflict diplomatically - that is, without the use of military action - their actions are aimed primarily at finding a compromise at the negotiating table, which can be very difficult. There is an explanation for this: often the leaders of states simply do not want to make concessions to each other - they are satisfied with some semblance of armed neutrality; also, one cannot take into account the causes of the conflict, its history and, in fact, the subject of the dispute. National characteristics and needs play an important role in the development of the conflict - taken together, this can significantly slow down the search for a compromise between the participating countries.
1.2 State border and the right to challenge it by another country
Let's define the state border:
State border - a line and a vertical surface passing along this line, defining the limits of the state territory (land, water, subsoil and air space) of the country, that is, the spatial limit of the state sovereignty.
The following statement indirectly follows from the definition - the state protects its sovereignty, and, consequently, its air and land resources. Historically, one of the most motivating reasons for military action is precisely the division of territories and resources.
1.3 Right to own territories
The question of the legal nature of the state territory presupposes the answer that there is a state territory from a legal point of view, more precisely, that there is a state territory from an international legal point of view.
The state territory is a part of the Earth's surface, lawfully belonging to a certain state, within which it exercises its supremacy. In other words, state sovereignty underlies the legal nature of state territory. Under international law, a territory is linked to its population. The state territory and its population are necessary attributes of the state.
Territorial supremacy means the complete and exclusive power of the state in its territory. This means that the public authority of another power cannot act on the territory of a particular state.
Trends in the development of modern international law indicate that the state is free in the right to use its territorial supremacy to the extent that the rights and legitimate interests of other states are not affected.
The concept of state jurisdiction is narrower in scope than the concept of territorial supremacy. The jurisdiction of the state is understood as the right of its judicial and administrative bodies to consider and resolve any cases within its borders, in contrast to the territorial supremacy, which means the fullness of state power in a certain territory.
Chapter II. Russo-Japanese conflict over the Kuril Islands
2.1 History of the conflict: causes and stages of development
The main problem on the way to reaching an agreement is Japan's territorial claims to the southern Kuril Islands (Iturup Island, Kunashir Island and the Lesser Kuril Ridge).
The Kuril Islands are a chain of volcanic islands between the Kamchatka Peninsula and the island of Hokkaido (Japan), which separate the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean. Consist of two parallel ridges of islands - Big Kuril and Malaya Kuril 4. The first information about the Kuril Islands was reported by the Russian explorer Vladimir Atlasov.
In 1745, most of the Kuril Islands were marked on the "General Map of the Russian Empire" in the Academic Atlas.
In the 70s. In the 18th century, permanent Russian settlements existed in the Kuriles under the command of the Irkutsk tradesman Vasily Zvezdochetov. On the map of 1809, the Kuriles and Kamchatka were attributed to the Irkutsk province. In the 18th century, the peaceful colonization by Russians of Sakhalin, the Kuriles and the northeast of Hokkaido was largely completed.
In parallel with the development of the Kuriles by Russia, the Japanese were advancing to the Northern Kuriles. Reflecting the Japanese onslaught, in 1795 Russia built a fortified military camp on Urup Island.
By 1804, dual power had actually developed in the Kuriles: the influence of Russia was more strongly felt in the Northern Kuriles, and Japan's influence in the Southern Kuriles. But formally, all the Kuriles still belonged to Russia.
February 1855 was signed the first Russian-Japanese treaty - the Treatise on Trade and Borders. He proclaimed relations of peace and friendship between the two countries, opened three Japanese ports for Russian ships and established a border in the South Kuriles between the islands of Urup and Iturup.
In 1875, Russia signed a Russian-Japanese treaty, according to which it ceded 18 Kuril Islands to Japan. Japan, in turn, recognized the island of Sakhalin as wholly owned by Russia.
From 1875 to 1945 the Kuril Islands were under the control of Japan.
On February 1945, an agreement was signed between the leaders of the Soviet Union, the USA and Great Britain - Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, according to which, after the end of the war against Japan, the Kuril Islands should be transferred to the Soviet Union.
On September 1945, Japan signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender, accepting the terms of the Potsdam Declaration of 1945, according to which its sovereignty was limited to the islands of Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Hokkaido, as well as to the smaller islands of the Japanese archipelago. The islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Khabomai went to the Soviet Union.
On February 1946, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Kuril Islands Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Khabomai were included in the USSR.
On September 1951, at an international conference in San Francisco, a peace treaty was concluded between Japan and 48 countries participating in the anti-fascist coalition, according to which Japan renounced all rights, titles and claims to the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. The Soviet delegation did not sign this treaty, referring to the fact that it regards it as a separate agreement between the US and Japanese governments.
From the point of view of treaty law, the question of the ownership of the South Kuriles remained uncertain. The Kuriles ceased to be Japanese, but did not become Soviet. Using this circumstance, Japan in 1955 presented the USSR with claims to all the Kuril Islands and the southern part of Sakhalin. As a result of two years of negotiations between the USSR and Japan, the positions of the parties drew closer: Japan limited its claims to the islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup.
On October 1956, the Joint Declaration of the USSR and Japan on the termination of the state of war between the two states and the restoration of diplomatic and consular relations was signed in Moscow. In it, in particular, the Soviet government agreed to the transfer of Japan after the conclusion of a peace treaty of the islands of Habomai and Shikotan.
After the conclusion of the Japanese-American security treaty in 1960, the USSR canceled the obligations assumed by the declaration of 1956. During the Cold War, Moscow did not recognize the existence of a territorial problem between the two countries. The presence of this problem was first recorded in the Joint Statement of 1991, signed following the visit of the President of the USSR to Tokyo.
In 1993, in Tokyo, the President of Russia and the Prime Minister of Japan signed the Tokyo Declaration on Russian-Japanese Relations, which recorded the agreement of the parties to continue negotiations with the aim of concluding a peace treaty as soon as possible by resolving the issue of ownership of the above-mentioned islands5.
2.2 The development of the conflict at the present time: the positions of the parties and the search for a solution
In recent years, in order to create an atmosphere at the talks conducive to the search for mutually acceptable solutions, the parties have been paying great attention to establishing practical Russian-Japanese interaction and cooperation in the region of the islands. One of the results of this work was the beginning of the implementation in September 1999 of an agreement on the most facilitated procedure for visiting the islands by their former residents from among Japanese citizens and members of their families. Cooperation is being carried out in the fisheries sector on the basis of the current Russian-Japanese Agreement on fishing near the southern Kuriles dated February 21, 1998.
The Japanese side puts forward claims to the southern Kuril Islands, motivating them with references to the Russian-Japanese Treaty on Trade and Borders of 1855, according to which these islands were recognized as Japanese, and also to the fact that these territories are not part of the Kuril Islands, from which Japan refused the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951. Japan made the signing of a peace treaty between the two countries dependent on the resolution of the territorial dispute.
The position of the Russian side on the issue of border delimitation is that the southern Kuril Islands passed to our country as a result of the Second World War on a legal basis in accordance with the agreements of the allied powers (Yalta Agreement of February 11, 1945, Potsdam Declaration of July 26, 1945 d.) and Russian sovereignty over them, which has the appropriate international legal design, is not subject to doubt.
Reaffirming its commitment to the previously reached agreements on holding negotiations on a peace treaty, including the issue of border delimitation, the Russian side emphasizes that the solution to this problem should be mutually acceptable, not damage the sovereignty and national interests of Russia, and receive the support of the public and the parliaments of both countries.
Despite all the measures taken, a recent visit by D.A. Medvedev on November 1, 2010, the disputed territory caused an uproar in the Japanese media; Thus, the Japanese government turned to the Russian president with a request to cancel the event in order to avoid aggravating relations between the countries.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation refused the request. In particular, the message of the diplomatic department noted that "the President of Russia independently determines the routes of travel through the territory of his country," and advice on this matter "from outside" is inappropriate and unacceptable7 .
At the same time, the deterrent effect of the unresolved territorial problem on the development of Russian-Japanese relations has significantly decreased. This is primarily due to the strengthening of Russia's international positions and Tokyo's understanding of the need to develop Russian-Japanese relations, including trade and economic cooperation, against the backdrop of the progressive growth of the Russian economy and the increasing investment attractiveness of the Russian market.
Conclusion
The problem remains a problem. Russia and Japan have been living without any peace treaty since the Second World War - this is unacceptable from a diplomatic point of view. Moreover, normal trade and economic relations and political interaction are possible if the issue of the Kuril Islands is fully resolved. The final point, perhaps, will help to put a vote among the population of the disputed Kuril Islands, because first of all, you need to listen to the opinion of the people.
The only key to mutual understanding between the two countries is the creation of a climate of trust, trust and again trust, as well as broad mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields of politics, economics and culture. To reduce the distrust accumulated over the centuries to zero and start moving towards trust with a plus is the key to the success of a peaceful neighborhood and tranquility in the border sea areas of Russia and Japan. Will current politicians be able to realize this opportunity? Will show time.
List of sources used
1.Azrilyan A. Legal Dictionary. - M.: Institute of New Economics, 2009 - 1152 p.
2.Antsupov A.Ya., Shipilov A.I. Meaning, subject and tasks of conflictology. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2008 - 496 p.
.Biryukov P.N. International law. - M.: Jurist, 2008 - 688 p.
.Zuev M.N. Russian history. - M.: Yurayt, 2011 - 656 p.
.Klyuchnikov Yu.V., Sabanin A. International politics of modern times in contracts, notes and declarations. Part 2. - M.: Reprint edition, 1925 - 415 p.
.Turovsky R.F. political regionalism. - M.: GUVSHE, 2006 - 792 p.
7.http://www.bbc. co. UK
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The Southern Kuril Islands are a stumbling block in relations between Russia and Japan. The dispute over the ownership of the islands prevents our neighboring countries from concluding a peace treaty, which was violated during the Second World War, negatively affects the economic ties between Russia and Japan, contributes to an ever-preserving state of distrust, even hostility, of the Russian and Japanese peoples
Kurile Islands
The Kuril Islands are located between the Kamchatka Peninsula and the island of Hokkaido. The islands stretch for 1200 km. from north to south and separate the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean, the total area of the islands is about 15 thousand square meters. km. In total, the Kuril Islands include 56 islands and rocks, but there are 31 islands with an area of \u200b\u200bmore than one kilometer. The largest in the Kuril ridge are Urup (1450 sq. km), Iturup (3318.8), Paramushir (2053), Kunashir (1495), Simushir (353), Shumshu (388), Onekotan (425), Shikotan (264). All the Kuril Islands belong to Russia. Japan disputes ownership only of the Kunashir Islands, Iturup Shikotan and the Habomai Ridge. The state border of Russia runs between the Japanese island of Hokkaido and the Kuril island of KunashirDisputed islands - Kunashir, Shikotan, Iturup, Habomai
Kunashir Island
Habomai
The history of the discovery of the Kuril Islands
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In October-November 1648, he was the first of the Russians to pass the First Kuril Strait, that is, the strait separating the northernmost island of the Kuril ridge Shumshu from the southern tip of Kamchatka, under the command of the clerk of the Moscow merchant Usov Fedot Alekseevich Popov. It is possible that Popov's people even landed on Shumshu.
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The first Europeans to visit the Kuril Islands were the Dutch. On February 3, 1643, the two ships Castricum and Breskens, which left Batavia in the direction of Japan, under the general command of Martin de Vries, approached the Lesser Kuril Ridge on June 13. The Dutch saw the shores of Iturup, Shikotan, discovered the strait between the islands of Iturup and Kunashir.
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In 1711, the Cossacks Antsiferov and Kozyrevsky visited the Northern Kuril Islands Shumsha and Paramushir and even unsuccessfully tried to extort tribute from the local population - the Ainu.
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In 1721, by decree of Peter the Great, an expedition of Evreeinov and Luzhin was sent to the Kuriles, who explored and mapped 14 islands in the central part of the Kuril ridge.
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In the summer of 1739, a Russian ship under the command of M. Spanberg rounded the islands of the South Kuril ridge. Spanberg mapped, although inaccurately, the entire ridge of the Kuril Islands from the Kamchatka nose to Hokkaido.
Ainu lived on the Kuril Islands. The Ainu, the first population of the Japanese islands, were gradually forced out by newcomers from Central Asia to the north to the island of Hokkaido and further to the Kuriles. From October 1946 to May 1948, tens of thousands of Ainu and Japanese were taken from the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin to the island of Hokkaido
The problem of the Kuril Islands. Briefly
- 1855, February 7 (new style) - the first diplomatic document in relations between Russia and Japan, the so-called Treaty of Simond, was signed in the Japanese port of Shimoda. On behalf of Russia, it was endorsed by Vice-Admiral E. V. Putyatin, on behalf of Japan - authorized Toshiakira Kawaji.
Article 2: “From now on, the borders between Russia and Japan will pass between the islands of Iturup and Urup. The whole island of Iturup belongs to Japan, and the whole island of Urup and the other Kuril Islands to the north are the possession of Russia. As for the island of Crafto (Sakhalin), it remains undivided between Russia and Japan, as it has been until now.
- 1875, May 7 - a new Russian-Japanese treaty "On the exchange of territories" was concluded in St. Petersburg. On behalf of Russia, it was signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs A. Gorchakov, and on behalf of Japan, by Admiral Enomoto Takeaki.
Article 1. “His Majesty the Emperor of Japan ... cedes to His Majesty the All-Russian Emperor part of the territory of Sakhalin Island (Krafto), which he now owns .. so that from now on the aforementioned Sakhalin Island (Krafto) will completely belong to the Russian Empire and the border line between the Empires of Russia and The Japanese will pass in these waters through the La Perouse Strait "
Article 2. “In exchange for the cession of rights to Sakhalin Island to Russia, His Majesty the Emperor of All Russia cedes to His Majesty the Emperor of Japan a group of islands called the Kuril Islands. ... This group includes ... eighteen islands 1) Shumshu 2) Alaid 3) Paramushir 4) Makanrushi 5) Onekotan, 6) Harimkotan, 7) Ekarma, 8) Shiashkotan, 9) Mus-sir, 10) Raikoke, 11) Matua , 12) Rastua, 13) the islets of Sredneva and Ushisir, 14) Ketoi, 15) Simusir, 16) Broughton, 17) the islets of Cherpoy and Brother Cherpoev, and 18) Urup, so that the border line between the Russian and Japanese Empires in these waters will pass through the strait located between Cape Lopatkoy of the Kamchatka Peninsula and Shumshu Island"
- May 28, 1895 - An agreement between Russia and Japan on trade and navigation was signed in St. Petersburg. On behalf of Russia, it was signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs A. Lobanov-Rostovsky and Minister of Finance S. Witte; on behalf of Japan, it was signed by Nishi Tokujiro, Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Russian Court. The treaty consisted of 20 articles.
Article 18 stated that the treaty supersedes all previous Russo-Japanese treaties, agreements and conventions
- 1905, September 5 - Portsmouth Peace Treaty was concluded in Portsmouth (USA), which completed. On behalf of Russia, it was signed by Chairman of the Committee of Ministers S. Witte and Ambassador to the United States R. Rosen, on behalf of Japan by Foreign Minister D. Komura and Envoy to the United States K. Takahira.
Article IX: “The Russian Imperial Government cedes to the Imperial Japanese Government in perpetual and complete possession the southern part of the island of Sakhalin and all the islands adjacent to the latter .... The fiftieth parallel of northern latitude is taken as the limit of the ceded territory.
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1907, July 30 - An agreement between Japan and Russia was signed in St. Petersburg, consisting of a public convention and a secret treaty. The convention stated that the parties were obliged to respect the territorial integrity of both countries and all the rights arising from the agreements existing between them. The agreement was signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs A. Izvolsky and Ambassador of Japan to Russia I. Motono
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1916, July 3 - in Petrograd Petrograd established the Russo-Japanese alliance. It consisted of a vowel and a secret part. In the secret one, the previous Russian-Japanese agreements were also confirmed. The documents were signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs S. Sazonov and I. Motono
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1925, January 20 - the Soviet-Japanese Convention on the Basic Principles of Relations, ... the declaration of the Soviet government ... was signed in Beijing. The documents were endorsed by L. Karahan from the USSR and K. Yoshizawa from Japan
convention.
Article II: “The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics agrees that the treaty concluded at Portsmouth on 5 September 1905 shall remain in full force and effect. It is agreed that the treaties, conventions and agreements, other than the said Treaty of Portsmouth, concluded between Japan and Russia before November 7, 1917, will be revised at a conference to be held subsequently between the Governments of the Contracting Parties, and that they may be amended or canceled as necessary. changing circumstances require."
The declaration emphasized that the government of the USSR does not share political responsibility with the former tsarist government for the conclusion of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty: “The Plenipotentiary of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics has the honor to declare that the recognition by his Government of the validity of the Treaty of Portsmouth of September 5, 1905 does not in any way mean that The government of the Union shares with the former tsarist government the political responsibility for the conclusion of the said treaty.
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1941, April 13 - Neutrality Pact between Japan and the USSR. The pact was signed by Foreign Ministers Molotov and Yosuke Matsuoka
Article 2 "In the event that one of the contracting parties becomes the object of hostilities by one or more third powers, the other contracting party shall remain neutral throughout the entire conflict."
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1945, February 11 - at the Yalta Conference of Stalin Roosevelt and Churchill, an agreement was signed on the Far East.
"2. The return of the rights that belonged to Russia, violated by the perfidious attack of Japan in 1904, namely:
a) the return to the Soviet Union of the southern part of about. Sakhalin and all adjacent islands, ...
3. Transfers of the Kuril Islands to the Soviet Union"
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1945, April 5 - Molotov received the Japanese ambassador to the USSR, Naotake Sato, and made a statement to him that in the conditions when Japan was at war with England and the USA, allies of the USSR, the pact loses its meaning and its extension becomes impossible
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August 9, 1945 - The USSR declared war on Japan.
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1946, January 29 - Memorandum of the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in the Far East, American General D. MacArthur, to the government of Japan determined that the southern part of Sakhalin and all the Kuril Islands, including the Lesser Kuril ridge (the Habomai group of islands and Shikotan Island), are withdrawn from the sovereignty of the Japanese state
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1946, February 2 - By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, in accordance with the provisions of the Yalta Agreement and the Potsdam Declaration, the South Sakhalin (now Sakhalin) Region of the RSFSR was created in the returned Russian territories
The return to the Russian territory of South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands made it possible to ensure access to the Pacific Ocean of the ships of the Navy of the USSR, to find a new frontier for the forward deployment of the Far Eastern group of ground forces and military aviation of the Soviet Union, and now the Russian Federation, carried far beyond the continent
- 1951, September 8 - Japan signed the San Francisco Peace Treaty, according to which it renounced "all rights ... to the Kuril Islands and to that part of Sakhalin Island ... over which it acquired sovereignty under the Portsmouth Treaty of September 5, 1905." The USSR refused to sign this treaty, because, according to Minister Gromyko, the text of the treaty did not enshrine the sovereignty of the USSR over South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.
The San Francisco Peace Treaty between the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition and Japan officially ended World War II, fixed the procedure for paying reparations to allies and compensation to countries affected by Japanese aggression
- 1956, August 19 - in Moscow, the USSR and Japan signed a declaration ending the state of war between them. According to it (including) the island of Shikotan and the Habomai ridge were to be transferred to Japan after the signing of a peace treaty between the USSR and Japan. However, soon Japan, under pressure from the United States, refused to sign a peace treaty, since the United States threatened that if Japan withdraws its claims to the Kunashir and Iturup islands, the Ryukyu archipelago with the island of Okinawa would not be returned to Japan, which, on the basis of Article 3 of the San Francisco Peace the treaty was then administered by the United States
“President of Russia V.V. Putin has repeatedly confirmed that Russia, as a successor state of the USSR, is committed to this document…. It is clear that if it comes to the implementation of the 1956 Declaration, a lot of details will have to be agreed upon ... However, the sequence that is set out in this Declaration remains unchanged ... the first step before everything else is the signing and entry into force of a peace treaty "(Russian Foreign Minister S . Lavrov)
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1960, January 19 - Japan and the United States signed the "Treaty of Interaction and Security"
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January 27, 1960 - The government of the USSR announced that since this agreement was directed against the USSR, it refuses to consider the transfer of the islands to Japan, since this will lead to the expansion of the territory used by American troops
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2011, November - Lavrov: "The Kuriles were, are and will be our territory in accordance with the decisions that were made following the results of the Second World War"
Iturup, the largest of the South Kuril Islands, became ours 70 years ago. Under the Japanese, tens of thousands of people lived here, life was in full swing in the villages and markets, there was a large military base from where the Japanese squadron left to smash Pearl Harbor. What have we built here over the past years? Recently, here is the airport. A couple of shops and hotels also appeared. And in the main settlement - the city of Kurilsk with a population of just over one and a half thousand people - they laid an outlandish attraction: a couple of hundred meters (!) Of asphalt. But in the store, the seller warns the buyer: “The product is almost expired. Do you take it? And he hears in response: “Yes, I know. Of course I will." And how not to take it if there is not enough food (with the exception of fish and what the garden gives), and there will be no delivery in the coming days, more precisely, it is not known when it will be. Local people like to repeat: we have 3,000 people and 8,000 bears here. There are more people, of course, if you count the military and border guards, but no one counted the bears - maybe there are more of them. From the south to the north of the island, one has to get along a harsh dirt road through the pass, where hungry foxes guard each car, and roadside burdocks are the size of a person, you can hide with them. Beauty, of course: volcanoes, hollows, springs. But it is safe to ride on the local dirt trails only during the day and when
there is no fog. And in rare settlements, the streets are empty after nine in the evening - a curfew in fact. A simple question - why did the Japanese live well here, while we only get settlements? - most of the inhabitants simply do not occur. We live - we guard the earth.(“Rotational sovereignty”. “Spark” No. 25 (5423), June 27, 2016)
Once a prominent Soviet figure was asked: “Why don't you give Japan these islands. She has such a small territory, and you have such a large one? “That’s why it’s big because we don’t give it back,” the activist answered.
The Kuril Islands are represented by a series of Far Eastern island territories, they have one side, this is the Kamchatka Peninsula, and the other is about. Hokkaido in . The Kuril Islands of Russia are represented by the Sakhalin Oblast, which stretches for about 1,200 km in length with an available area of 15,600 square kilometers.
The islands of the Kuril ridge are represented by two groups located opposite each other - called Big and Small. A large group located in the south belongs to Kunashir, Iturup and others, in the center - Simushir, Keta and in the north are the rest of the island territories.
Shikotan, Habomai and a number of others are considered to be the Small Kuriles. For the most part, all island territories are mountainous and go up to 2,339 meters in height. The Kuril Islands on their lands have about 40 volcanic hills that are still active. Also here is the location of springs with hot mineral water. The south of the Kuriles is covered with forest plantations, and the north attracts with unique tundra vegetation.
The problem of the Kuril Islands lies in the unresolved dispute between the Japanese and Russian sides over who owns them. And it has been open since WWII.
The Kuril Islands after the war began to belong to the USSR. But Japan considers the territories of the southern Kuriles, and these are Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan with the Habomai group of islands, as its territory, without having a legal basis for that. Russia does not recognize the fact of a dispute with the Japanese side over these territories, since their ownership is legal.
The problem of the Kuril Islands is the main obstacle to a peaceful settlement of relations between Japan and Russia.
The essence of the dispute between Japan and Russia
The Japanese demand that the Kuril Islands be returned to them. There, almost the entire population is convinced that these lands are originally Japanese. This dispute between the two states has been going on for a very long time, escalating after the Second World War.
Russia is not inclined to concede to the Japanese leaders of the state in this matter. The peace agreement has not been signed to this day, and this is connected precisely with the four disputed South Kuril Islands. About the legitimacy of Japan's claims to the Kuril Islands in this video.
The meanings of the southern Kuriles
The Southern Kuriles have several meanings for both countries:
- Military. The Southern Kuriles are of military importance, thanks to the only outlet to the Pacific Ocean for the country's fleet located there. And all because of the scarcity of geographical formations. At the moment, the ships enter the ocean waters through the Sangar Strait, because it is impossible to pass through the La Perouse Strait due to icing. Therefore, submarines are located in Kamchatka - Avachinskaya Bay. The military bases operating in the Soviet era have now been looted and abandoned.
- Economic. Economic importance - in the Sakhalin region there is a rather serious hydrocarbon potential. And belonging to Russia of the entire territory of the Kuriles, allows you to use the waters there at your discretion. Although its central part belongs to the Japanese side. In addition to water resources, there is such a rare metal as rhenium. Extracting it, the Russian Federation is in third place in the extraction of minerals and sulfur. For the Japanese, this area is important for fishing and agricultural purposes. This caught fish is used by the Japanese to grow rice - they simply pour it into the rice fields for fertilizer.
- Social. By and large, there is no special social interest for ordinary people in the southern Kuriles. This is because there are no modern megacities, people mostly work there and live in cabins. Supplies are delivered by air, and less often by water due to constant storms. Therefore, the Kuril Islands are more of a military-industrial facility than a social one.
- Tourist. In this regard, things are better in the southern Kuriles. These places will be of interest to many people who are attracted by everything real, natural and extreme. It is unlikely that anyone will remain indifferent at the sight of a thermal spring gushing out of the ground, or from climbing the volcano caldera and crossing the fumarole field on foot. And there is no need to talk about the views that open to the eye.
For this reason, the dispute over the ownership of the Kuril Islands has not moved forward.
Dispute over the Kuril territory
Who owns these four island territories - Shikotan, Iturup, Kunashir and the Habomai Islands, is not an easy question.
Information from written sources indicates the discoverers of the Kuriles - the Dutch. The Russians were the first to populate the territory of Chishim. Shikotan Island and the other three are designated for the first time by the Japanese. But the fact of discovery does not yet give grounds for the possession of this territory.
The island of Shikotan is considered to be the end of the world because of the cape of the same name located near the village of Malokurilsky. It impresses with its 40-meter drop into the ocean waters. This place is called the end of the world due to the amazing view of the Pacific Ocean.
Shikotan Island translates as Big City. It stretches for 27 kilometers, has a width of 13 km, occupied area - 225 square meters. km. The highest point of the island is the mountain of the same name, rising to 412 meters. Partially its territory belongs to the state nature reserve.
Shikotan Island has a very indented coastline with many coves, headlands and cliffs.
Previously, it was thought that the mountains on the island are volcanoes that have ceased to erupt, with which the Kuril Islands abound. But they turned out to be rocks displaced by shifts in lithospheric plates.
A bit of history
Long before the Russians and the Japanese, the Kuril Islands were inhabited by the Ainu. The first information among Russians and Japanese about the Kuriles appeared only in the 17th century. A Russian expedition was sent in the 18th century, after which about 9,000 Ainu became citizens of Russia.
A treaty was signed between Russia and Japan (1855), called Shimodsky, where boundaries were established allowing Japanese citizens to trade on 2/3 of this land. Sakhalin remained a nobody's territory. After 20 years, Russia became the undivided owner of this land, then losing the south in the Russo-Japanese War. But during the Second World War, Soviet troops were still able to take back the south of Sakhalin land and the Kuril Islands as a whole.
Between the states that won the victory and Japan, nevertheless, a peace agreement was signed and it happened in San Francisco in 1951. And according to it, Japan has absolutely no rights to the Kuril Islands.
But then the Soviet side did not sign, which many researchers considered a mistake. But there were good reasons for this:
- The document did not indicate specifically what was included in the Kuriles. The Americans said that it is necessary to apply for this to a special international court. Plus, a member of the delegation of the Japanese state announced that the southern disputed islands are not the territory of the Kuril Islands.
- The document also did not indicate exactly who the Kuriles would belong to. That is, the issue remained controversial.
Between the USSR and the Japanese side in 1956, a declaration was signed, preparing a platform for the main peace agreement. In it, the Land of the Soviets goes to meet the Japanese and agrees to transfer to them only the two disputed islands of Habomai and Shikotan. But with a condition - only after the signing of a peace agreement.
The declaration contains several subtleties:
- The word "transfer" means that they belong to the USSR.
- This transfer will actually take place after the signing of the peace treaty.
- This applies only to the two Kuril Islands.
This was a positive development between the Soviet Union and the Japanese side, but it caused alarm among the Americans. Thanks to pressure from Washington, the ministerial chairs were completely changed in the Japanese government, and new officials who rose to high positions began to prepare a military agreement between America and Japan, which began to operate in 1960.
After that, a call came from Japan to give up not two islands proposed by the USSR, but four. America puts pressure on the fact that all agreements between the Land of Soviets and Japan are not obligatory to be fulfilled, they are supposedly declarative. And the existing and current military agreement between the Japanese and the Americans implies the deployment of their troops on Japanese territory. Accordingly, now they have come even closer to Russian territory. 
Proceeding from all this, Russian diplomats declared that until all foreign troops were withdrawn from its territory, it was impossible even to talk about a peace agreement. But in any case, we are talking about only two islands of the Kuriles.
As a result, the power structures of America are still located on the territory of Japan. The Japanese insist on the transfer of the 4 Kuril Islands, as stated in the declaration.
The second half of the 80s of the 20th century was marked by the weakening of the Soviet Union, and under these conditions, the Japanese side again raises this topic. But the dispute about who will own the South Kuril Islands, the countries remained open. The Tokyo Declaration of 1993 states that the Russian Federation is the legal successor of the Soviet Union, respectively, and previously signed papers must be recognized by both parties. It also indicated the direction to move towards the solution of the territorial affiliation of the disputed four Kuril Islands.
The 21st century, and specifically 2004, was marked by the raising of this topic again at a meeting between President Putin of the Russian Federation and the Prime Minister of Japan. And again, everything happened again - the Russian side offers its own conditions for signing a peace agreement, and Japanese officials insist that all four South Kuril Islands be transferred to their disposal. 
The year 2005 was marked by the readiness of the Russian president to end the dispute, guided by the 1956 agreement and transfer two island territories to Japan, but the Japanese leaders did not agree with this proposal.
In order to somehow reduce the tension between the two states, the Japanese side was offered to help in the development of nuclear energy, the development of infrastructure and tourism, and further improve the environmental situation, as well as security. The Russian side accepted this proposal.
At the moment, for Russia there is no question - who owns the Kuril Islands. Without any doubt, this is the territory of the Russian Federation, based on real facts - following the results of the Second World War and the generally recognized UN Charter. 
Kurile Islands- a chain of islands between the Kamchatka Peninsula and the island of Hokkaido, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean. The length is about 1200 km. The total area is 15.6 thousand km. To the south of them is the state border of the Russian Federation with Japan. The islands form two parallel ridges: the Greater Kuril and the Lesser Kuril. Includes 56 islands. Have important military-strategic and economic importance.
Geographically, the Kuril Islands are part of the Sakhalin region of Russia. Southern islands of the archipelago - Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, as well as the islands MalayaKurilridges.
On the islands and in the coastal zone, industrial reserves of non-ferrous metal ores, mercury, natural gas, and oil have been explored. On the island of Iturup, in the area of the Kudryavy volcano, there is the richest known mineral deposit in the world. rhenium(rare metal, the cost of 1 kg is 5000 US dollars). Thereby Russia ranks third in the world in terms of natural reserves of rhenium(after Chile and the USA). The total resources of gold in the Kuril Islands are estimated at 1867 tons, silver - 9284 tons, titanium - 39.7 million tons, iron - 273 million tons.
The territorial conflict between Russia and Japan has a long history:
After the defeat in 1905 in the Russo-Japanese War, Russia transferred the southern part of Sakhalin to Japan;
In February 1945, the Soviet Union promised the US and Great Britain to start a war with Japan on the condition that Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands be returned to it;
February 2, 1946 Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the formation on the territory of South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands of the South Sakhalin Region as part of the Khabarovsk Territory of the RSFSR;
In 1956, the Soviet Union and Japan adopted a Joint Treaty officially ending the war between the two states and transferring the islands of the Lesser Kuril Range to Japan. Signing the agreement, however, did not work out, because it came out that Japan was waiving the rights to Iturup and Kunashir, because of which the United States threatened not to give Japan the island of Okinawa.
Russia's position
The official position of the Russian military-political leadership in 2005 was expressed by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, stating that the ownership of the islands was determined by the results of the Second World War and that in this sense Russia was not going to discuss this issue with anyone. But in 2012, he made a very reassuring statement for the Japanese people, saying that the dispute should be resolved on the basis of a compromise that suits both sides. "Something like hikiwake. Hikiwake is a term from judo, when neither side managed to win," the President explained.
At the same time, the Government of the Russian Federation has repeatedly stated that sovereignty over the southern Kuriles is not subject to discussion, and Russia will strengthen its presence in them, making all the necessary efforts for this. In particular, the Federal Target Program "Social and Economic Development of the Kuril Islands" is being implemented, thanks to which the former Japanese "Northern Territories" are actively building infrastructure facilities, it is planned to build aquaculture facilities, kindergartens and hospitals.
Japanese position
Every prime minister, every party that won the elections is determined to return the Kuriles. At the same time, there are parties in Japan that claim not only the southern Kuriles, but also all the Kuril Islands up to Kamchatka, as well as the southern part of Sakhalin Island. Also in Japan, a political movement for the return of the "northern territories" is organized, which conducts regular propaganda activities.
At the same time, the Japanese pretend that there is no border with Russia in the Kuril region. The southern Kuril Islands belonging to Russia are shown on all maps and postcards as the territory of Japan. Japanese mayors and police chiefs are appointed to these islands. Children in Japanese schools learn Russian in case the islands are returned to Japan. Moreover, they are taught to show on the map the "northern territories" and juvenile pupils of kindergartens. Thus, the idea that Japan does not end here is supported.
By decision of the Japanese government, starting from February 7, 1982, the country annually celebrates the "Day of the Northern Territories". It was on this day in 1855 that the Shimoda Treaty was concluded, the first Russian-Japanese treaty, according to which the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge went to Japan. On this day, a "nationwide rally for the return of the northern territories" is traditionally held, in which the prime minister and government ministers, parliament deputies from the ruling and opposition political parties, and former residents of the southern part of the Kuriles take part. At the same time, dozens of campaign buses of ultra-right groups with powerful loudspeakers, painted with slogans and under militaristic flags, are leaving on the streets of the Japanese capital, plying between the parliament and the Russian embassy.
There are also territorial disputes in the modern world. Only the Asia-Pacific region has several of these. The most serious of them is the territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands. Russia and Japan are its main participants. The situation on the islands, which are considered to be a kind of between these states, has the appearance of a dormant volcano. No one knows when he will start his "eruption".
Discovery of the Kuril Islands
The archipelago, located on the border between and the Pacific Ocean, is the Kuril Islands. It stretches from about. Hokkaido The territory of the Kuril Islands consists of 30 large land areas surrounded on all sides by the waters of the sea and ocean, and a large number of small ones.
The first expedition from Europe, which ended up near the shores of the Kuriles and Sakhalin, was the Dutch navigators led by M. G. Friz. This event took place in 1634. They not only made the discovery of these lands, but also proclaimed them as Dutch territory.
The explorers of the Russian Empire also studied Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands:
- 1646 - discovery of the northwestern Sakhalin coast by the expedition of V. D. Poyarkov;
- 1697 - VV Atlasov becomes aware of the existence of the islands.
At the same time, Japanese sailors began to sail to the southern islands of the archipelago. By the end of the 18th century, their trading posts and fishing trips appeared here, and a little later - scientific expeditions. A special role in the research belongs to M. Tokunai and M. Rinzō. Around the same time, an expedition from France and England appeared on the Kuril Islands.
Island discovery problem
The history of the Kuril Islands has still preserved discussions about the issue of their discovery. The Japanese claim that they were the first to find these lands in 1644. The National Museum of Japanese History carefully preserves a map of that time, on which the corresponding symbols are applied. According to them, Russian people appeared there a little later, in 1711. In addition, the Russian map of this area, dated 1721, designates it as "Japanese Islands." That is, Japan was the discoverer of these lands.
The Kuril Islands in Russian history were first mentioned in the reporting document of N. I. Kolobov to Tsar Alexei of 1646 on the peculiarities of wanderings. Also, data from chronicles and maps of medieval Holland, Scandinavia and Germany testify to indigenous Russian villages.
By the end of the 18th century, they were officially annexed to the Russian lands, and the population of the Kuril Islands acquired Russian citizenship. At the same time, state taxes began to be collected here. But neither then, nor a little later, was any bilateral Russian-Japanese treaty or international agreement signed that would secure Russia's rights to these islands. In addition, their southern part was not under the power and control of the Russians.
The Kuril Islands and relations between Russia and Japan
The history of the Kuril Islands in the early 1840s is characterized by the revitalization of British, American and French expeditions in the Northwest Pacific. This is the reason for a new surge of Russia's interest in establishing diplomatic and commercial relations with the Japanese side. Vice Admiral E. V. Putyatin in 1843 initiated the idea of equipping a new expedition to the Japanese and Chinese territories. But it was rejected by Nicholas I.
Later, in 1844, I.F. Kruzenshtern supported him. But this did not receive the support of the emperor.
During this period, the Russian-American company took active steps to establish good relations with the neighboring country.
First treaty between Japan and Russia
The problem of the Kuril Islands was resolved in 1855, when Japan and Russia signed the first treaty. Before that, a rather lengthy negotiation process took place. It began with the arrival of Putyatin in Shimoda at the end of the autumn of 1854. But soon the negotiations were interrupted by an intense earthquake. A rather serious complication was the support provided by the French and English rulers to the Turks.
The main provisions of the agreement:
- establishment of diplomatic relations between these countries;
- protection and patronage, as well as ensuring the inviolability of the property of citizens of one power in the territory of another;
- drawing the border between the states located near the islands of Urup and Iturup of the Kuril archipelago (preservation of indivisibility);
- the opening of some ports for Russian sailors, the permission to conduct trade here under the supervision of local officials;
- the appointment of a Russian consul in one of these ports;
- granting the right of extraterritoriality;
- receiving by Russia the status of the most favored nation.
Japan also received permission from Russia to trade in the port of Korsakov, located on the territory of Sakhalin, for 10 years. The country's consulate was established here. At the same time, any trade and customs duties were excluded.
Attitude of countries to the Treaty
A new stage, which includes the history of the Kuril Islands, is the signing of the Russian-Japanese treaty of 1875. It caused mixed reviews from representatives of these countries. Citizens of Japan believed that the country's government had done wrong by exchanging Sakhalin for "an insignificant ridge of pebbles" (as they called the Kuriles).
Others simply put forward statements about the exchange of one territory of the country for another. Most of them were inclined to think that sooner or later the day would come when the war did come to the Kuril Islands. The dispute between Russia and Japan will escalate into hostilities, and battles will begin between the two countries.
The Russian side assessed the situation in a similar way. Most representatives of this state believed that the entire territory belongs to them as discoverers. Therefore, the treaty of 1875 did not become the act that once and for all determined the delimitation between the countries. It also failed to be a means of preventing further conflicts between them.
Russo-Japanese War
The history of the Kuril Islands continues, and the next impetus for the complication of Russian-Japanese relations was the war. It took place despite the presence of agreements concluded between these states. In 1904, Japan's treacherous attack on Russian territory took place. This happened before the start of hostilities was officially announced.
The Japanese fleet attacked the Russian ships that were in the outer roadstead of Port Artois. Thus, some of the most powerful ships belonging to the Russian squadron were disabled.
The most significant events of 1905:
- the largest land battle of Mukden in the history of mankind at that time, which took place on February 5-24 and ended with the withdrawal of the Russian army;
- The Tsushima battle at the end of May, which ended with the destruction of the Russian Baltic squadron.
Despite the fact that the course of events in this war was in the best possible way in favor of Japan, she was forced to enter into peace negotiations. This was due to the fact that the country's economy was very depleted by military events. On August 9, a peace conference between the participants in the war began in Portsmouth.
Reasons for Russia's defeat in the war
Despite the fact that the conclusion of the peace treaty determined to some extent the situation in which the Kuril Islands were, the dispute between Russia and Japan did not stop. This caused a significant number of protests in Tokyo, but the effects of the war were very tangible for the country.
During this conflict, the Russian Pacific Fleet was practically completely destroyed, more than 100 thousand of its soldiers were killed. There was also a stop to the expansion of the Russian state to the East. The results of the war were indisputable evidence of how weak the tsarist policy was.
This was one of the main reasons for the revolutionary actions in 1905-1907.
The most important reasons for the defeat of Russia in the war of 1904-1905.
- The presence of diplomatic isolation of the Russian Empire.
- The absolute unpreparedness of the country's troops to conduct combat acts in difficult situations.
- The shameless betrayal of domestic stakeholders and the mediocrity of most Russian generals.
- The high level of development and readiness of the military and economic spheres of Japan.
Until our time, the unresolved Kuril issue is a great danger. After World War II, no peace treaty was signed following its results. From this dispute, the Russian people, like the population of the Kuril Islands, have absolutely no benefit. Moreover, this state of affairs contributes to the generation of hostility between countries. It is precisely the speedy resolution of such a diplomatic issue as the problem of the Kuril Islands that is the key to good neighborly relations between Russia and Japan.
