Kuril Islands Dispute between Russia an
Kuril Islands Dispute between Russia and Japan
One of the most significant discussions between Japan and Russia is the Kuril Islands issue. The disputed islands are currently under the Russian administration, but Japan claims them as its own. Over the past century this issue is the major obstacle to obtain complete ratification of Japan – Russia relations and sign a peace treaty between them. Despite the fact that there have been many efforts to change the situation between Russia and Japan, it is still a pending issue. This essay will analyse the Kuril Islands dispute from different perspectives, suggest some possible solutions for solving it and explain why resolving the problem is in the interest of both countries.
The Kuril Islands chain, Russian: Kurilskiye Ostrova, Japanese: Chishima-rettō, is located between the southern coastline of Kamchatka and the northern coastline of Hokkaido. The number of islands in chain is 56, plus many small rocks (Wiki, 2014). The history of Kuril Islands begins in the 17th century (Wiki, 2014). Before Russians and Japanese this territory was inhabited by Ainu people; according to researches, their language and customs distinguished from Japanese significantly (Polsky, no date). Ainu appearance was more "European" than "Asian" (Szczepanski, 2014). Nevertheless, researchers maintain several theories about the origin of Ainu people. According to Polsky (no date), the earliest official mention of the Kuril Islands in Russian history was in 1646 when expeditor Kolobov reported that bearded Ainu were inhabiting the islands. Polsky (no date) also stated that a significant amount of archives survived, confirming that Japanese government of that time did not consider Sakhalin, the Kuriles and even Hokkaido Island as a part of Japanese territory. However, other resources reveal that these findings may be inadequate. Stephen (1974) points out that Japanese discovered the Kuril Islands around 370 years ago. These statements display,
One of the most significant discussions between Japan and Russia is the Kuril Islands issue. The disputed islands are currently under the Russian administration, but Japan claims them as its own. Over the past century this issue is the major obstacle to obtain complete ratification of Japan – Russia relations and sign a peace treaty between them. Despite the fact that there have been many efforts to change the situation between Russia and Japan, it is still a pending issue. This essay will analyse the Kuril Islands dispute from different perspectives, suggest some possible solutions for solving it and explain why resolving the problem is in the interest of both countries.
The Kuril Islands chain, Russian: Kurilskiye Ostrova, Japanese: Chishima-rettō, is located between the southern coastline of Kamchatka and the northern coastline of Hokkaido. The number of islands in chain is 56, plus many small rocks (Wiki, 2014). The history of Kuril Islands begins in the 17th century (Wiki, 2014). Before Russians and Japanese this territory was inhabited by Ainu people; according to researches, their language and customs distinguished from Japanese significantly (Polsky, no date). Ainu appearance was more "European" than "Asian" (Szczepanski, 2014). Nevertheless, researchers maintain several theories about the origin of Ainu people. According to Polsky (no date), the earliest official mention of the Kuril Islands in Russian history was in 1646 when expeditor Kolobov reported that bearded Ainu were inhabiting the islands. Polsky (no date) also stated that a significant amount of archives survived, confirming that Japanese government of that time did not consider Sakhalin, the Kuriles and even Hokkaido Island as a part of Japanese territory. However, other resources reveal that these findings may be inadequate. Stephen (1974) points out that Japanese discovered the Kuril Islands around 370 years ago. These statements display,
References: Bruce A. E., et al. (1998-1999). A Historical Re-evaluation of America 's Role in the Kuril Islands Dispute. Pacific Affairs. Masami, I. 2011. Russian-held isles: So near, so far. [Online]. [Accessed 4 May 2014]. Available from: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/01/18/reference/russian-held-isles-so-near-so-far/#.U24TbPldV5p Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan National Diet Library. (2003-2004). Postdam Declaration. [Online]. [Accessed 5 May 2014]. Available from: http://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/etc/c06.html Office of Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, US Department of State Szczepanski, K. 2014. Who are the Ainu? [Online]. [Accessed 2 May 2014]. Available from: http://asianhistory.about.com/od/glossaryae/g/GlosAinu.htm Takahashi, K Wiki. 2014. Gyokuon-hōsō. [Online]. [Accessed 2 May 2014]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyokuon-h%C5%8Ds%C5%8D Wiki Интерфакс. 2011. На помощь Японии. [Online]. [Accessed 6 May 2014]. Available from: http://www.interfax.ru/russia/180929 Календарь событий