02 September 2004 09:43
Japan PM to view Russian-held isles, focus on spat
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi set sail on Thursday to view a cluster of Russian-held islands, a voyage that is angering Moscow but which he hopes will highlight Japan's desire to reclaim the territory. The islands, which lie near Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, were seized by the Soviet Union at the end of World War Two, and the row over ownership has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from signing a peace treaty.
Koizumi flew to Hokkaido then boarded a coast guard patrol boat at the port of Hanasaki as a group of former Japanese residents of the islands waved Japanese flags to see him off.
He will not land on the islands, which lie 1,000 km (620 miles) north of Tokyo.
Political analysts say Koizumi, now entering what are likely to be his final two years in office, hopes to do better than his predecessors in resolving the dispute, which has been a persistent source of strain in bilateral ties.
Known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kuriles by Russia, the islands have limited economic or strategic value, but the question of sovereignty touches national pride.
"I think it is necessary for all Japanese to realise that the Northern Territories are not just an issue for the people of Hokkaido and the former island residents and their children and grandchildren, but are an issue for all of Japan," Koizumi said in the latest issue of his email magazine released on Thursday. "The resolution of the Northern Territories issue is in the interests of both Japan and Russia, and with that in mind I want to strive to resolve it," he added.
About 17,000 Japanese lived there when the Soviet Union invaded in 1945, forcing them to leave.
Now, an estimated 14,000 Russians reside on the islands, mostly ekeing out a living by fishing.
Koizumi plans to meet a group of former Japanese residents and their descendants in Hokkaido after his voyage.
"We want him to take a good look and listen well to the voices of those who lived there," a man who once lived on the islands said on Japanese television.
Koizumi's trip comes just months before an expected visit to Japan by Russian President Vladimir Putin early next year to mark the 150th anniversary of the first trade treaty between the two countries.
Moscow has denounced Koizumi's trip, saying it will complicate efforts to forge a peace treaty, and some Japanese critics have accused him of trying to curry favour with right-wing members of his party and the public.
Tokyo has said the island dispute is a barrier to deepening economic ties, although trade and investment between the two countries has been growing as Japanese firms invest in the resource-rich Russian Far East.
Koizumi's plan to make the island dispute a focus of his remaining two years in office could be politically risky, analysts say.
The prime minister sprang to power in 2001 on a mostly domestic platform of economic reform. But he has been aggressive on foreign policy, sending Japanese troops on a controversial non-combat mission in Iraq and twice holding summits with Kim Jong-il, the leader of neighbouring communist North Korea.
"Koizumi has set himself the task of doing something that would make him a historic figure," said Takashi Inoguchi, a political science professor at the University of Tokyo. "I think he will fail ... but he likes taking risks."
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