31 August 2004 13:08
Japan PM rebuffs Russia over disputed islands
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday rebuffed Russian criticism of his plan to view four islands at the centre of a territorial dispute between the two countries, saying that they belonged to Japan. Koizumi is set to view the Russian-held islands from a Japanese Coast Guard patrol boat outside Russia's territorial waters on Thursday, but will not actually set foot on them, officials have said.
The row over the islands, which lie just north of Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido and were seized by the Soviet Union in the final days of World War Two, has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from signing a peace treaty. "The Northern Territories are Japan's inherent territory," Koizumi told reporters on Tuesday, adding that Moscow should understand Tokyo's position. The islands are known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in Russia as the Southern Kuriles. "Unless the issue of the Northern Territories is resolved, there would be no peace treaty," Koizumi added.
Russia had denounced Koizumi's plans on Monday, saying the trip would complicate rather than improve the prospects for making progress on the peace treaty talks.
Japanese media said Koizumi had originally hoped to land on the islands but decided to view them from offshore to avoid upsetting Moscow, especially ahead of an expected visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin early next year.
Two of Koizumi's predecessors have viewed islands from the air, including Yoshiro Mori, who did so in 2001.
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