What are the Kuril Islands called? The problem of belonging to the Kuril Islands

Briefly, the history of “belonging” to the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island is as follows.

1.During the period 1639-1649. Russian Cossack detachments led by Moskovitinov, Kolobov, Popov explored and began to develop Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. At the same time, Russian pioneers repeatedly sailed to the island of Hokkaido, where they were peacefully greeted by the local Ainu aborigines. The Japanese appeared on this island a century later, after which they exterminated and partially assimilated the Ainu.

2.B 1701 Cossack sergeant Vladimir Atlasov reported to Peter I about the “subordination” of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, leading to the “wonderful kingdom of Nipon”, to the Russian crown.

3.B 1786. By order of Catherine II, a register of Russian possessions in the Pacific Ocean was made, with the register being brought to the attention of all European states as a declaration of Russia's rights to these possessions, including Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

4.B 1792. By decree of Catherine II, the entire chain of the Kuril Islands (both Northern and Southern), as well as the island of Sakhalin officially included in Russian Empire.

5.As a result of Russia’s defeat in Crimean War 1854—1855 gg. under pressure England and France Russia forced was concluded with Japan on February 7, 1855. Treaty of Shimoda, according to which four southern islands of the Kuril chain were transferred to Japan: Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup. Sakhalin remained undivided between Russia and Japan. At the same time, however, the right of entry was recognized Russian ships to Japanese ports, and also proclaimed “permanent peace and sincere friendship between Japan and Russia.”

6.May 7, 1875 according to the Treaty of St. Petersburg, the tsarist government as a very strange act of “goodwill” makes incomprehensible further territorial concessions to Japan and transfers to it another 18 small islands of the archipelago. In return, Japan finally recognized Russia's right to all of Sakhalin. It is for this agreement the Japanese refer most of all today, slyly keeping silent, that the first article of this treaty reads: “... and henceforth eternal peace and friendship will be established between Russia and Japan” ( the Japanese themselves violated this treaty several times in the 20th century). Many Russian statesmen those years sharply condemned this “exchange” agreement as short-sighted and harmful to the future of Russia, comparing it with the same short-sightedness as the sale of Alaska to the United States of America in 1867 for next to nothing ($7 billion 200 million), saying that “now we are biting our own elbows.”

7.After Russo-Japanese War 1904—1905 gg. followed another stage in the humiliation of Russia. By Portsmouth peace treaty concluded on September 5, 1905, Japan received southern part Sakhalin, all the Kuril Islands, and also took away from Russia the lease right to the naval bases of Port Arthur and Dalniy. When did Russian diplomats remind the Japanese that all these provisions contradict the treaty of 1875 g., - those answered arrogantly and impudently : « War crosses out all agreements. You have been defeated and let's proceed from the current situation " Reader, Let us remember this boastful declaration of the invader!

8.Next comes the time to punish the aggressor for his eternal greed and territorial expansion. Signed by Stalin and Roosevelt at the Yalta Conference February 10, 1945 G. " Agreement on the Far East" provided: "... 2-3 months after the surrender of Germany, the Soviet Union will enter the war against Japan subject to the return to the Soviet Union of the southern part of Sakhalin, all the Kuril Islands, as well as the restoration of the lease of Port Arthur and Dalny(these built and equipped by the hands of Russian workers, soldiers and sailors back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. very comfortable in their own way geographical location naval bases were donated free of charge to “brotherly” China. But our fleet needed these bases so much in the 60-80s years of revelry " cold war"and intense combat service of the fleet in remote areas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. We had to equip the Cam Ranh forward base in Vietnam from scratch for the fleet).

9.B July 1945 in accordance with Potsdam Declaration heads of victorious countries the following verdict was adopted regarding the future of Japan: “The sovereignty of Japan will be limited to four islands: Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu and those that WE SPECIFY.” August 14, 1945 The Japanese government has publicly confirmed its acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, and September 2 Japan unconditionally surrendered. Article 6 of the Instrument of Surrender states: “...the Japanese government and its successors will honestly implement the terms of the Potsdam Declaration , give such orders and take such actions as the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Powers requires in order to implement this declaration...” January 29, 1946 The Commander-in-Chief, General MacArthur, in his Directive No. 677 DEMANDED: “The Kuril Islands, including Habomai and Shikotan, are excluded from the jurisdiction of Japan.” AND only after that legal action, a Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was issued on February 2, 1946, which read: “ All lands, subsoil and waters of Sakhalin and the Kul Islands are the property of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics " Thus, the Kuril Islands (both Northern and Southern), as well as about. Sakhalin, on legally And in accordance with standards international law were returned to Russia . This could put an end to the “problem” of the Southern Kuril Islands and stop all further disputes. But the story with the Kuril Islands continues.

10.After the end of the Second World War US occupied Japan and turned it into their military base in the Far East. In September 1951 The USA, Great Britain and a number of other states (49 in total) signed Treaty of San Francisco with Japan, prepared in violation of the Potsdam Agreements without the participation of the Soviet Union . Therefore, our government did not join the agreement. However, in Art. 2, Chapter II of this treaty is written in black and white: “ Japan renounces all rights and claims... to the Kuril Islands and that part of Sakhalin and the adjacent islands , over which Japan acquired sovereignty by the Treaty of Portsmouth of September 5, 1905.” However, even after this, the story with the Kuril Islands does not end.

11.19 October 1956 The government of the Soviet Union, following the principles of friendship with neighboring states, signed with the Japanese government joint declaration, according to which the state of war between the USSR and Japan ended and peace, good neighborliness and friendly relations. When signing the Declaration as a gesture of goodwill and nothing more it was promised to transfer to Japan the two southernmost islands of Shikotan and Habomai, but only after the conclusion of a peace treaty between the countries.

12.However The United States imposed a number of military agreements on Japan after 1956, replaced in 1960 by a single “Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security”, according to which US troops remained on its territory, and thus the Japanese islands turned into a springboard for aggression against the Soviet Union. In connection with this situation, the Soviet government declared to Japan that it was impossible to transfer the promised two islands to it.. And the same statement emphasized that, according to the declaration of October 19, 1956, “peace, good neighborliness and friendly relations” were established between the countries. Therefore, an additional peace treaty may not be required.
Thus, the problem of the South Kuril Islands does not exist . It was decided a long time ago. AND de jure and de facto the islands belong to Russia . In this regard, it might be appropriate remind the Japanese of their arrogant statement in 1905 g., and also indicate that Japan was defeated in World War II and therefore has no rights to any territories, even to her ancestral lands, except those that were given to her by the victors.
AND to our Foreign Ministry just as harshly, or in a softer diplomatic form you should have stated this to the Japanese and put an end to it, PERMANENTLY stopping all negotiations and even conversations on this non-existent problem that degrades the dignity and authority of Russia.
And again the “territorial issue”

However, starting from 1991 city, meetings of the President are held repeatedly Yeltsin and members of the Russian government, diplomats with Japanese government circles, during which The Japanese side every time persistently raises the issue of “northern Japanese territories.”
Thus, in the Tokyo Declaration 1993 g., signed by the President of Russia and the Prime Minister of Japan, was again the “presence of a territorial issue” was recognized, and both sides promised to “make efforts” to resolve it. The question arises: could our diplomats really not know that such declarations should not be signed, because acknowledging the existence of a “territorial issue” contradicts national interests Russia (Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “ Treason»)??

As for the peace treaty with Japan, it is de facto and de jure in accordance with the Soviet-Japanese Declaration of October 19, 1956. not really needed. The Japanese do not want to conclude an additional official peace treaty, and there is no need. He more needed in Japan, as the side that was defeated in the Second World War, rather than Russia.

A Russian citizens should know that the “problem” of the Southern Kuril Islands is just a fake , her exaggeration, periodic media hype around her and the litigiousness of the Japanese - there is consequence of Japan's illegal claims in violation of the obligations undertaken by it to strictly observe the recognized and signed by it international obligations. And Japan’s constant desire to reconsider the ownership of many territories in the Asia-Pacific region permeates Japanese politics throughout the twentieth century.

Why The Japanese, one might say, have their teeth in the Southern Kuril Islands and are trying to illegally take possession of them again? But because the economic and military-strategic importance of this region is extremely great for Japan, and even more so for Russia. This region of colossal seafood wealth(fish, living creatures, sea animals, vegetation, etc.), deposits of useful, including rare earth minerals, energy sources, mineral raw materials.

For example, January 29 this year. slipped into the Vesti (RTR) program short information: discovered on Iturup Island large deposit rare earth metal rhenium(the 75th element in the periodic table, and the only one in the world ).
Scientists allegedly calculated that to develop this deposit it would be enough to invest only 35 thousand dollars, but the profit from the extraction of this metal will allow us to bring all of Russia out of the crisis in 3-4 years . Apparently the Japanese know about this and that’s why they attack so persistently Russian government demanding that the islands be given to them.

I must say that During the 50 years of ownership of the islands, the Japanese did not build or create anything major on them, except for light temporary buildings. Our border guards had to rebuild barracks and other buildings at outposts. The entire economic “development” of the islands, which the Japanese are shouting about to the whole world today, consisted in the predatory robbery of the islands' wealth . During the Japanese "development" from the islands seal rookeries and sea otter habitats have disappeared . Part of the livestock of these animals our Kuril residents have already restored .

Today, the economic situation of this entire island zone, as well as the whole of Russia, is difficult. Of course, significant measures are needed to support this region and care for Kuril residents. According to calculations by a group of State Duma deputies, it is possible to produce on the islands, as reported in the program “Parliamentary Hour” (RTR) on January 31 of this year, only fish products up to 2000 tons per year, with a net profit of about 3 billion dollars.
Militarily, the ridge of the Northern and Southern Kuriles with Sakhalin constitutes a complete closed infrastructure of strategic defense Far East and the Pacific Fleet. They protect the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and turn it into an inland one. This is the area deployment and combat positions of our strategic submarines.

Without the Southern Kuril Islands we will have a hole in this defense. Control over the Kuril Islands ensures free access of the fleet to the ocean - after all, until 1945, our Pacific Fleet, starting in 1905, was practically locked in its bases in Primorye. Detection equipment on the islands provides long-range detection of air and surface enemies and the organization of anti-submarine defense of the approaches to the passages between the islands.

In conclusion, it is worth noting this feature in the relationship between the Russia-Japan-US triangle. It is the United States that confirms the “legality” of the islands’ ownership of Japan , against all odds signed by them international treaties .
If so, then our Ministry of Foreign Affairs has every right, in response to the claims of the Japanese, to propose that they demand the return of Japan to its “southern territories” - the Caroline, Marshall and Mariana Islands.
These archipelagos former colonies of Germany, captured by Japan in 1914. Japanese rule over these islands was sanctioned by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. After the defeat of Japan, all these archipelagos came under US control. So Why shouldn't Japan demand that the United States return the islands to it? Or lack the spirit?
As you can see, there is obvious double standard foreign policy Japan.

And one more fact that clarifies the overall picture of the return of our Far Eastern territories in September 1945 and the military significance of this region. The Kuril operation of the 2nd Far Eastern Front and the Pacific Fleet (August 18 - September 1, 1945) provided for the liberation of all the Kuril Islands and the capture of Hokkaido.

The annexation of this island to Russia would have important operational and strategic significance, since it would ensure the complete enclosure of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk by our island territories: Kuril Islands - Hokkaido - Sakhalin. But Stalin canceled this part of the operation, saying that with the liberation of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin, we had resolved all our territorial issues in the Far East. A we don't need someone else's land . In addition, the capture of Hokkaido will cost us a lot of blood, unnecessary losses of sailors and paratroopers in the most last days war.

Stalin here showed himself to be a real statesman, caring for the country and its soldiers, and not an invader who coveted foreign territories that were very accessible in that situation for seizure.

In Russia, the Kuril Islands were first mentioned in the reporting document of N. I. Kolobov to Tsar Alexei from 1646 year about the peculiarities of the wanderings of I. Yu. Moskvitin. Also, data from chronicles and maps of medieval Holland, Scandinavia and Germany indicate indigenous Russian villages. N.I. Kolobov spoke about the bearded Ainu inhabiting the islands. The Ainu were engaged in gathering, fishing and hunting, living in small settlements throughout the Kuril Islands and on Sakhalin.
Founded after the campaign of Semyon Dezhnev in 1649, the cities of Anadyr and Okhotsk became bases for exploring the Kuril Islands, Alaska and California.

The development of new lands by Russia took place in a civilized manner and was not accompanied by the extermination or displacement of the local population from the territory of their historical homeland, as happened, for example, with the North American Indians. The arrival of the Russians led to the spread among the local population of more effective means hunting, metal products, and most importantly, contributed to the cessation of bloody inter-tribal feuds. Under the influence of the Russians, these peoples began to become familiar with agriculture and move on to sedentary lifestyle life. Trade revived, Russian merchants flooded Siberia and the Far East with goods, the existence of which the local population did not even know.

In 1654, the Yakut Cossack foreman M. Stadukhin visited there. In the 60s, part of the northern Kuril Islands was put on the map by the Russians, and in 1700 the Kuril Islands were put on the map of S. Remizov. In 1711, the Cossack ataman D. Antsiferov and captain I. Kozyrevsky visited the Paramushir Shumshu islands. On next year Kozyrevsky visited the islands of Iturup and Urup and reported that the inhabitants of these islands live “autocratically.”

I. Evreinov and F. Luzhin, who graduated from the St. Petersburg Academy of Geodesy and Cartography, made a trip to the Kuril Islands in 1721, after which the Evreinovs personally presented a report on this voyage and a map to Peter I.

Russian navigators Captain Shpanberg and Lieutenant Walton in 1739 were the first Europeans to open the way to the eastern shores of Japan and visit Japanese islands Hondo (Honshu) and Matsmae (Hokkaido), described the Kuril ridge and mapped all the Kuril Islands and the eastern coast of Sakhalin.
The expedition established that only one island of Hokkaido was under the rule of the “Japanese Khan”, the rest of the islands were not subject to him. Since the 60s, interest in the Kuril Islands has noticeably increased, Russian fishing vessels are increasingly landing on their shores, and soon the local population - the Ainu - on the islands of Urup and Iturup were brought under Russian citizenship.
The merchant D. Shebalin was ordered by the office of the port of Okhotsk to “convert the inhabitants of the southern islands into Russian citizenship and start trading with them.” Having brought the Ainu under Russian citizenship, the Russians founded winter quarters and camps on the islands, and taught the Ainu to use firearms, raise livestock and grow some vegetables.

Many of the Ainu converted to Orthodoxy and learned to read and write.
Russian missionaries did everything to spread Orthodoxy among the Kuril Ainu and taught them the Russian language. Deservedly first in this line of missionaries is the name of Ivan Petrovich Kozyrevsky (1686-1734), in the monasticism of Ignatius. A.S. Pushkin wrote that “Kozyrevsky in 1713 conquered the two Kuril Islands and brought Kolesov news of the trade of these islands with the merchants of the city of Matmaya.” In the texts of Kozyrevsky’s “Drawing for the Sea Islands” it was written: “On the first and other islands in Kamchatka Nos, from the autocratic ones shown on that campaign, he smoked with affection and greetings, and others, in military order, brought them back into tribute payment.” Back in 1732, the famous historian G.F. Miller noted in the academic calendar: “Before this, the local residents did not have any faith. But in twenty years, by order of His Imperial Majesty, churches and schools were built there, which give us hope, and from time to time this people will be brought out of their delusion.” Monk Ignatius Kozyrevsky in the south of the Kamchatka Peninsula, at his own expense, founded a church with a limit and a monastery, in which he himself later took monastic vows. Kozyrevsky managed to convert “the local people of other faiths” - the Itelmen of Kamchatka and the Kuril Ainu.

The Ainu fished, beat sea animals, baptized Orthodox churches their children, wore Russian clothes, had Russian names, spoke Russian and proudly called themselves Orthodox. In 1747, the “newly baptized” Kurilians from the islands of Shumshu and Paramushir, numbering more than two hundred people, through their toen (leader) Storozhev, turned to the Orthodox mission in Kamchatka with a request to send a priest “to confirm them in the new faith.”

By order of Catherine II in 1779, all taxes not established by decrees from St. Petersburg were canceled. Thus, the fact of the discovery and development of the Kuril Islands by Russians is undeniable.

Over time, the fisheries in the Kuril Islands were depleted, becoming less and less profitable than off the coast of America, and therefore end of the XVIII century, the interest of Russian merchants in the Kuril Islands weakened.In Japan, by the end of the same century, interest in the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin was just awakening, because before that the Kuril Islands were practically unknown to the Japanese. The island of Hokkaido - according to the testimony of Japanese scientists themselves - was considered a foreign territory and only a small part of it was populated and developed. At the end of the 70s, Russian merchants reached Hokkaido and tried to start trade with local residents . Russia was interested in purchasing food from Japan for Russian fishing expeditions and settlements in Alaska and the islands Pacific Ocean, but it was never possible to establish trade, since it was prohibited by the Japanese Isolation Law of 1639, which read: “For the future, as long as the sun shines on the world, no one has the right to land on the shores of Japan, even if he were an envoy, and this law can never be repealed by anyone under pain of death.”.
And in 1788 Catherine II sends a strict order to Russian industrialists in the Kuril Islands so that they "did not touch islands under the jurisdiction of other powers", and a year before she issued a decree on equipping a round-the-world expedition to accurately describe and map the islands from Masmaya to Kamchatka Lopatka, so that they " formally classify everything as possession Russian state ". It was ordered not to allow foreign industrialists to " trade and crafts in places belonging to Russia and with local residents to deal peacefully"But the expedition did not take place due to the outbreak Russian-Turkish War 1787-1791.

Taking advantage of the weakening of Russian positions in the southern part of the Kuril Islands, Japanese fish farmers first appeared in Kunashir in 1799, and the next year in Iturup, where they destroyed Russian crosses and illegally erected a pillar with a designation indicating that the islands belonged to Japan. Japanese fishermen often began to arrive on the shores of Southern Sakhalin, fished, and robbed the Ainu, which caused frequent clashes between them. In 1805, Russian sailors from the frigate "Juno" and the tender "Avos" placed a pillar with Russian flag, and the Japanese camp on Iturup was devastated. The Russians were warmly received by the Ainu.
.. .

The harsh reality of these places is such that it serves as a constant reminder to people that the crown of “king of nature” was awarded to them self-appointedly and completely undeservedly. Because here, in the face of nature, we sometimes find ourselves unarmed. Frequent earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions have more than once led to people leaving their habitable places without hope of restoring entire settlements. There are many such abandoned villages, urban-type settlements and military towns here. And in this sense, Severo-Kurilsk was lucky, which, although it was completely destroyed by the wave of 1952, was then rebuilt.

Severo-Kurilsk

Severo-Kurilsk is a city in the Sakhalin region with a population of less than 2,500 people, located in the northeast of the Kuril island of Paramushir. Severo-Kurilsk is located at the foot of Mount Ebeko, just 7 km away. from active volcano. The city's economy is based on the extraction and processing of fish (navaga, flounder and pollock) and seafood, mainly crabs and squid. There is a fishing port.

Two dams with small power plants were built on the river close to the city. The search for geothermal sources is underway. The city also has a small airport designed to serve helicopters. Picturesque surroundings of Severo-Kurilsk, availability mineral springs form the basis for recreation for residents and guests of the city.

Despite the fact that the city territorially belongs to the Sakhalin region, passenger traffic is provided only with the Kamchatka Territory, since the distance to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is 4 times less than to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. From the Kamchatka Peninsula you can get here by air in less than 2 hours. The sea journey is 16-18 hours - currently sea transportation from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is carried out by the passenger ship "Gipanis".

The North Kuril region includes the islands: Shumshu, Paramushir, Atlasova, Antsiferova, Makarushi, Onekotan, Kharimkotan, Shiashkotan, Ekarma, Chirikotan, Matua, Rasshua, Ushishir, Ketoi, as well as a number of small islands such as Avos rock and Trap rocks .

Kurilsk

Kurilsk is a city in the Sakhalin region, located on the Iturup island of the Kuril ridge. The population does not exceed 2000 people. They work in Kurilsk sea ​​port, a fishery for the reproduction of pink salmon, a seismic station, a weather station, a tsunami warning station, there is even its own local history museum with a collection of archaeological and ethnographic materials.

The municipality is located in the central part of the Kuril Islands and includes the islands: Iturup, Urup, Broughtona, Black Brothers (Chirpoy, Brat-Chirpoev), Simushir and many small islands and rocks.

The Kuril urban district includes 7 villages: Kitovoe, Rybaki, Burevestnik, Gornoye, Goryachiye Klyuchi, Reidovo. These are small settlements, for example, in the village of Rybaki there are only 20 people, in Burevestnik there are not even 200, in Kitov about 600, in Reidovo about 1000. In the rest, the population has crossed the 1000th threshold, since on the territory of these settlements there are military units.

Yuzhno-Kurilsk

Yuzhno-Kurilsk is an urban-type settlement located on Kunashir Island, with a population of about 7,000 people. It was also rebuilt several times after destruction caused by natural disasters.

In Yuzhno-Kurilsk, as in other cities of the islands, there are several fishing enterprises.
OJSC Kuril Mining and Geological Company, based in the village, is engaged in geological exploration and production precious metals at gold mining sites in the Sakhalin region.

In addition, the Mendeleevskaya Geothermal Power Plant and a heat supply station are being built in the village, which will make it possible in the future to eliminate the costly imports of coal and diesel fuel and completely transfer Yuzhno-Kurilsk to geothermal heat supply.

16 km. From the village there is the Mendeleevo airport, where you can fly from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in less than two hours. Sea communication between Sakhalin and Yuzhno-Kurilsk are provided by the motor ships “Marina Tsvetaeva” and “Igor Farkhutdinov”. In addition, from here you can get to Shikotan, where the Nadezhda and Druzhba ships sail. And only cargo flights go to Vladivostok.

Not far from the village there is a “Hot Beach”, where you can relax on thermal springs and these are far from the only natural attractions of the South Kuril urban district.

In addition, here you can visit the local history museum and the Neolithic site ancient man, which is located on the left bank of the Alekhina River.

Who owns the Kuril Islands?

Hello, Dear friends! Andrey Puchkov is on the line.

Today I decided to highlight a new interesting cross-cutting topic: who owns the Kuril Islands. This topic will help you understand some aspects of the history of Russia, and will help the most advanced boys and girls select arguments in social studies when performing Unified State Exam test. The theme will also allow .

So, who owns the Kuril Islands? Russia or Japan? And why hasn’t a peace treaty been signed between Japan and Russia yet?

A short one is needed here historical excursion, which, by the way, will help you broaden your horizons a little. Since the 17th century, Japan has been an isolated state ruled by warlike samurai. And this eastern country took only 4 big islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Plus it owned the Okinawan islands and several hundred islands in the Pacific Ocean. Sakhalin and the islands of the Kuril chain (Iturup, Habomai, Kunashir and Shikotan) were not officially divided between Russia and Japan, which is reflected in the Treaty of Shimoda, concluded between the countries in 1855. Meanwhile, these islands were actively colonized by the Russians.

If Japan had not been isolated, then perhaps today's Russia limited in the East only to Siberia. However, it happened as it happened.

This is what happened next. On September 5, 1905, following the results of the Russo-Japanese War, the Treaty of Portsmouth was concluded with Japan. The Japanese people, on whom the war bore a heavy burden, as well as on the Russians, thought that China would chop off Kaschatka and Siberia from Russia.

However, Japan received only the Liaodong Peninsula with Port Arthur, half of the Sakhalin Island and just those very islands of the Kuril chain.

Plus, Russia was deprived of the South Caucasus Railway, which it itself had built. The second part of Sakhalin (north of the 50th parallel) remained with Russia. Thus, the disputed territories went to Japan, and it is to this precedent that Japan appeals today.

The next stage in the question of who owns the Kuril Islands today concerns the Second World War. You should know about military clashes on the lake. Khasan and the Khalkin-Gol River.

But this was only a test of strength on Japan's part. She was an aggressor, and Soviet soldiers fought for their native land, not giving up an inch of it to the enemy in the literal sense of the word.

Throughout the war with Hitler, Japan did not attack, since a truce was concluded between the USSR and Japan. By the way, I have a cool one about the war itself. However, throughout the war with Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union kept several divisions at the ready in the Far East.

And so, according to the conference of the Great Powers in Yalta in February 1945, the USSR pledged to enter the war with Japan no later than 3 months after the defeat of Hitler.

As a result, the Manchurian operation began in August 1945. You can figure it out yourself using the map. I'll just say this Soviet army in two weeks it completely defeated the million-strong Kwantung Army of Japan, and about 100 people died on the USSR side! We learned, therefore, how to fight!

It was during these military operations that the USSR occupied territories that belonged to Japan under the Treaty of Portsmouth: Sakhalin Island, the islands of the Kuril chain.

But the USSR never concluded a peace treaty with Japan. He was not present at the San Francisco Conference, at which all countries that wanted to conclude such treaties with Japan concluded them. There was also the Moscow Conference in 1956, at which diplomatic relations were established between the countries, and the USSR stated that it would meet Japan halfway regarding the islands, but only after a peace treaty was concluded. But he’s not there.

Thus, the USSR took advantage of the unspoken international rule: “What is taken in battle is sacred.” There were no documents. And then the USSR collapsed. By the way, there is a separate post. And Russia recognized itself as the right successor to the USSR.

As a result, we got not only disputed territories with Japan, but also the problem of resolving this dispute. Formally, the Japanese are right; their right to own the islands has not been legally challenged Soviet Union, but the USSR is also right, since economic and, most importantly, human resources were used to pacify the Japanese militarists, the costs of which were not repaid by anyone.

I have a feeling that those who believe that the Japanese have nowhere to live and need territories will now rebel. In fact, the question is, even if we theoretically raise the question of granting the Japanese the disputed territories, it will create a precedent to which all and sundry will appeal. As a result, Russia will shrink to Moscow and the Moscow region.

And the Japanese can be offered a civilized choice: let them move to Russia, we are a multinational country - we will accept them too. Let them form the Republic of Japan, learn the Russian language, and assimilate Russian culture, along with their own. P Ust are mastering us Siberia and the Far East.

Only they - the descendants of samurai - will not agree. And to the question: whose Kuril Islands there is only one answer - they are Russian, Russian! If you have your own authoritative opinion on this issue: write about it in the comments! And also subscribe to site news!

Sincerely, Andrey (Dreammanhist) Puchkov

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Japan in mid-December. It is already clear in advance that the main content of the meeting, at least for the Japanese side, will be the issue of the Kuril Islands. Following the Second World War, the Southern Kuril Islands, occupied Soviet troops in September 1945, were incorporated into the USSR. But soon Japan demanded that four islands - Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan and Habomai - be returned to them. At numerous negotiations, the USSR and Japan seemed to have initially agreed that only two smaller islands would be ceded to Japan. But the agreement was blocked by the United States, threatening the Japanese that if a peace treaty with the USSR was signed, they would not return the island of Okinawa, where their military base was located.

Russians and Japanese began almost at the same time to develop these lands, inhabited by the Ainu - the ancient and indigenous population of the Kuril Islands. Japan first heard about the “northern territories” only in the 17th century, around the same time Russian explorers spoke about them in Russia. Russian sources first mention the Kuril Islands in 1646, and Japanese sources - in 1635. Under Catherine II, signs were even installed on them with the inscription “Land of Russian Dominion.”

Later, a number of interstate treaties were signed (1855, 1875) regulating the rights to this territory - in particular, the Shimoda Treaty. In 1905, after the Russo-Japanese War, the islands finally became part of Japan along with South Sakhalin. Currently, for both the Russians and the Japanese, the issue of the Kuril Islands is a matter of principle.

After the collapse of the USSR, Russian public opinion is especially sensitive to any potential loss of at least some part of the territory. The recent transfer of a piece of land to China did not cause much indignation, since China is firmly perceived as our country’s main ally, and these lands along the Amur River meant little to the bulk of Russians. The Kuril Islands with their military base, which close the entrance from the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, are a completely different matter. They are perceived as Russia's eastern outpost. According to a survey conducted by Levada Center in May public opinion, 78% of Russians are against the transfer of the Kuril Islands to Japan, and 71% of Russians are against the transfer of only Habomai and Shikotan to Japan. To the fundamental question “What is more important: to conclude a peace treaty with Japan, receiving Japanese loans and technology, or to preserve two deserted small islands?” 56% also chose the second, and 21% - the first. So what will be the fate of the Far Eastern islands?

Version 1

Russia will give Japan the entire Kuril ridge

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has already held 14 (!) meetings with Vladimir Putin. This year alone, the Japanese Prime Minister visited Russia twice, in Sochi and Vladivostok, and proposed a plan for resolving the territorial issue there. If the islands are transferred, Japan promises development economic cooperation for 30 projects with a total value of $16 billion - in the fields of energy, medicine, Agriculture, in urban planning, growth of small and medium-sized businesses. And also the construction of a gas pipeline to Japan from Sakhalin, the development of industry in the Far East, cultural contacts, and so on. Plus guarantees that if the Kuril Islands are transferred to it, no military contingent from the United States will be stationed there.

According to the Japanese Prime Minister, Russia reacted positively to this plan. Japanese loans, technology, etc. may become suitable negotiating terms. Moreover, according to a Levada Center poll, only slightly more than half of Russians – 55% – believe that the level of trust in Putin will decrease if he decides to return the Kuril Islands to Japan. 9% believe that his rating will increase, and 23% believe that it will remain at its current level.

Version 2

Russia will hand over Habomai and Shikotan to Japan

In early November, Chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko held negotiations with the leaders of the Japanese Parliament in Tokyo. Their goal was clearly the desire to outline the Russian position in advance. Matvienko unequivocally stated: “The Kuril Islands were transferred to us as a result of the Second World War, which is recorded in international documents. And therefore Russia’s sovereignty over them is beyond doubt. There are things that Russia will never agree to. Limitation Russian sovereignty over the Kuril Islands, and especially their transfer to the jurisdiction of Japan is one of them. This is the position of all our people, here we have a national consensus.”

On the other hand, why not assume that Matvienko could play the role of a “bad cop” in the classic scheme? So that the Japanese negotiators would then be more accommodating with the first person, who may well become a “good cop” and negotiate favorable terms. Even during his first presidential visit to Japan, Putin actually recognized the validity of the 1956 Declaration, and in 2001 a Russian-Japanese statement recognizing its legal force was published.

And the Japanese seem to be ready for this. According to a survey conducted by the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, 57% of the country’s residents do not demand the absolute return of the entire Kuril ridge, but will be satisfied with a more flexible solution to the “territorial issue.”

Version 3

All islands of the Kuril chain will remain Russian

Last week, the Ministry of Defense announced the deployment of coastal missile systems “Bal” and “Bastion” in the Southern Kuriles - to the great disappointment of the Japanese authorities, who clearly did not expect anything like this. It is unlikely that our military would have carried the latest defense systems such a distance, knowing that the islands were being prepared for transfer to the Japanese.

In addition, the islands are of great strategic importance. As long as they belong to Russia, no foreign submarine can enter the Sea of ​​Okhotsk undetected. If at least one island goes to Japan, then Russia will lose control over the straits and any warship will be able to get into the center of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk without Moscow’s permission.

But the main guarantee that Moscow will never agree to exchange the Kuril Islands is not at all missile systems. The fact is that Tokyo has territorial claims following the Second World War not only to Moscow, but also to Seoul, and, most importantly, to Beijing. Because, even if we assume the unthinkable, that Russian authorities intend to fulfill Nikita Khrushchev’s idea and give the Japanese a couple of islands in order to improve relations, you need to understand that a negative reaction from the Chinese and Koreans to this step will follow immediately. China, in response to such a geopolitical setback, may present its territorial claims to Russia, and the Zhongguo will have grounds for this. And Moscow understands this well. So the current political “round dances” around the Kuril Islands will not lead to serious consequences - most likely, the parties are simply letting each other off steam.