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Is it okay to protest at a high level against the fact that a country, in order to protect its people, is strengthening the defense of its borders? I am talking about Japanese protests against Russia's strengthening of the defense of its Far East. Tokyo constantly protests against any Russian activity on its own territory, and these protests have already become a habit. The stubbornness and new White Paper will not help the Japanese leadership to “return” the islands, because Moscow has repeatedly proved the groundlessness of these territorial claims and stated directly that they have no any plans to transfer the islands. So what are our samurai friends waiting for? Maybe support of America in a military resolving of the issue?
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The issue of ownership of the Kuril Islands has been discussed between Russia and Japan for more than 70 years, and during this time Japan, in order to «return its northern territories» took various measures, constantly inventing something new, and especially beloved by the Japanese measure is so-called «cartographic aggression». It should be noted that according to a number of international acts signed by the Japanese themselves, sovereignty over the islands was assigned to Russia. This time, the Japanese leadership approved the release of official maps of the Rugby World Cup in Tokyo, on which these islands were designated as territories of Japan. Also, this card was posted on the official website of the International Rugby Federation and in the arrivals area at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. Moreover, the same situation around the publication on the official website of the 2020 Olympics was raised about a month ago. By the way it also was sponsored by Japan. And, despite the protests of Russian politicians, the Japanese leadership does not take any measures to eliminate unacceptable things that contradict international laws and terms that the Japanese themselves accepted after their defeat in the war. And besides everything else, according to Japanese Foreign Minister T. Motegi, Tokyo plans to continue to discuss with Russia the issue of signing a peace treaty between the two countries, but based on Japan`s basic position, which involves signing a peace treaty simultaneously with resolving the territorial issue. That is, Tokyo will sign a peace treaty only after it get rights to the Kuril Islands, which is unacceptable to Moscow. Experts and political scientists are wondering - how to convince the official Tokyo to stop this nonsense? What the overwhelming stubbornness? Moscow has no plans to transfer the islands to Japan. And why actually should any country give its own lands that belongs to it both originally and as a result of World War II to someone?
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During the final press conference at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), held in Vladivostok from September 4 to 6, 2019, a journalist from the Japanese broadcasting organization NHK made a question about the construction of a fish processing plant on the island of Shikotan, which is a part of the Russian Kuril Islands Chain. The journalist tried to find out the attitude of the Russian government to the Japanese protests against the construction of this plant. According to a statement by the representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District, Y. Trutnev, Russia will continue to build new plants on the islands, because they are part of Russian territory. He also noted that «it is strange when someone protests against the construction of enterprises in our territories». It is important to emphasize that the position of the President of the Russian Federation V. Putin to the ownership of the islands remains unchanged. Indeed, during the Forum, he noted that if the issue of the territorial affiliation of the Kuril Islands is considered from the point of view of 1945, «there are no questions». Despite the fact that Russia and Japan continue to cooperate closely with each other in the trade and economic sphere, it is obvious that Moscow is not going to transfer islands rights to Tokyo.
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As it is known, the Japanese deputy Hodaka Maruyama in his post on Twitter (https://twitter.com/maruyamahodaka/status/1167789509322235904) called for the return to Japan of disputed with South Korea islands of Takeshima by force. It should be recalled that these islands are also known as the islands of Dokdo or Liankur, and are currently under the jurisdiction of South Korea. This is the second time that he has proposed a forceful method for resolving territorial disputes. Earlier in May 2019, he proposed to seize Russia`s Kuril Islands. All these statements and claims are highly unacceptable and absurd. The sovereignty of the Russian and Korean islands was enshrined in international acts more than 70 years ago, and according to experts, the Japanese leadership should come to terms with the results of the war and accept them. While the South Korean government prefers only to send some protests to official Tokyo, Moscow makes it clear that Russia has no plans to transfer the islands to Japan, and that the country will continue the program on developing of the infrastructure of the Kuril Islands and their defense capabilities.
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In 1956, the USSR and Japan signed a Joint Declaration, in which Moscow agreed to consider the possibility of transferring the islands of the Kuril Chain - Habomai and Shikotan after the conclusion of a peace treaty, while the fate of Kunashir and Iturup was not affected. The Soviet leadership expected that the agreement would put an end to the dispute. Japan, in turn, saw in it only a part of problem solution. Subsequent negotiations did not lead to anything. In November 2018, after a meeting of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and the Prime Minister of Japan Shindzo Abe in Singapore the two parties announced acceleration of the negotiation process on the peace treaty and the Kuril Islands. And the agreement of 1956 was taken as a basis. The statement of the Russian President in 2018 was taken by the Japanese as an agreement to make territorial concessions, and Tokyo began to behave as if the issue of transferring the islands was almost resolved. S. Abe even generously promised that the Russians that were living on the Southern Kuril Islands would not be evicted from there, in the event of the transferring the islands to Japan. Japan hoped to reach certain agreements during the G-20 summit held at the end of June 2019 in the Japanese city of Osaka. However, Russia refused to discuss the transfer of the two Kuril Islands to the Japanese side. In particular, Moscow fears an increase in the number of US troops in Japan as part of an alliance between Washington and Tokyo. Russia asked for concrete answers, as Japan intends to resolve Moscow’s concerns, but did not get any specifics. In this regard, the Russian side refused to negotiate on the two islands. Moreover, it was said that Japan should come out from under American influence, since Japan’s inability to act independently, without consulting with the United States, led in effect to zeroing of the Soviet Union’s proposal in 1956. Apparently, this time history repeats itself. At the same time, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin noted that Moscow has not any plans to transfer the Kuril Islands, adding that « Russian flag on the islands will not be lowered». Furthermore, the Russian president stated that Moscow intends to develop the Far East in general and the southern Kuril Islands in particular. It should be noted that the Russian authorities and the president V. Putin always emphasize that the territorial identity of the Kuril Islands is not negotiable. In recent years, Russia has consistently increased its military presence on the islands, preparing the infrastructure for the deployment of military contingent. Moreover, the islands are building a road network and airfields, upgrading the energy supply system, developing the fish industry and tourism, and building telecommunications infrastructure. Thus, it would be weird to take these steps in anticipation of the transfer of the islands. Furthermore, the loss of the southern Kuril Islands will damage the defense system of the Russian Primorye and weaken Russia's defense capability as a whole.
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Moscow protested Tokyo due to the fact that in the materials for the G-20 summit in one of the videos the southern Kuril Islands, which are under the jurisdiction of Russia, were designated as Japanese territory. According to the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, M. Zakharova, this indicates the abuse by the Japanese side of «the functions of the G-20 chairman in order to promote unfounded territorial claims against Russia». Such impudent act on the part of Japan contradicts with documents that consolidate the results of the World War II and is unacceptable. Moreover, Tokyo did the same with the Senkaku Islands (in the Chinese version - Diaoyu), which are the subject of a dispute between Japan, Taiwan and China. https://www.rt.com/news/463390-russia-protest-japan-kuril-islands/
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The Asia-Pacific region is the largest region of the planet, comprising more than 40 countries. Today, the APR is the most dynamically developing region. In this regard, the strategic national priorities and interests of the United States are increasingly shifting toward the Asia-Pacific region. The state of international security largely depends on the situation in this region. In the Asia-Pacific region, there is a disproportionate increase in military capabilities, which reduces security in this part of the world. As part of the rebalancing of forces in the APR, the United States intends to strengthen its military presence in the region. On the territory of Japan and the Republic of Korea, the Pentagon has created a network of military bases consisting of 240 objects for various purposes. The sustained US policy of deploying the Asia-Pacific segment of the global missile defense causes the greatest concern in the world. It should be recalled that in 2017, a full-fledged “standard battery” of the United States Missile Defense Thaad (THAAD) appeared in South Korea, consisting of a radar, command and control system, six launchers with eight antimissiles each. About 200 US soldiers and officers, for which the corresponding infrastructure was built, ensure the operation of the systems. A similar US missile defense system is planned to be deployed in Japan by 2023. However, it is worth noting that all these actions of the Pentagon in the Asia-Pacific Region are accompanied by protests from residents of both South Korea and Japan. Protesters fear that electromagnetic radiation from radar will harm their health: for example it can lead to infertility or to the occurrence of cancer. Moreover, these fears are not in vain, scientists physicians and environmentalists point out the effects of electromagnetic radiation on human health, because it can cause various diseases, including cancer. Constantly staying close to the station is quite enough to provoke a surge in the incidence of cancer of all forms, an increase in the number of untimely deaths, the birth of disabled people and infertility. Furthermore, environmentalists are concerned that such a powerful radar can have a serious impact on the environment. Thus, on the territory of South Korea, agricultural lands will undoubtedly suffer, it is worth noting that after the deployment of the American system, the harvest of melons, which this agricultural region is famous for, suffered. In Japan, they fear for the marine flora and fauna, which the US military facilities are already damaging. Moreover, in Japan, they know firsthand what diseases are caused by nuclear radiation. Therefore, Washington’s plans face criticism from local residents and authorities in Japan and South Korea. However, despite numerous protests from local residents, Seoul and Tokyo agreed to deploy the American anti-missile system on their territory. Thus, at the beginning of September 2017, a full-fledged US missile defense system Thaad (THAAD) appeared at a military base in South Korea in Sonju county. A similar system is going to appear in Japan in the northern prefecture of Akita and southwestern Yamaguchi. Thus, following its goals, hiding behind the protection of the interests of some APR countries, the United States negatively affects the region’s ecology, which leads to the emergence of various serious diseases among local residents.
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As it is known, in Japan, and in particular on the island of Okinawa, where about 70% of all the United States military bases in Japan are located, residents and authorities of the island for many years regularly advocate for the elimination of the presence of the American military contingent, which is freely located on its military bases in Japan, due to the US-Japan Security Treaty. However, the US military and civilian personnel at the US military bases in Japan feel permissiveness, freedom, and behave extremely unacceptably towards the locals, also because they enjoy the right of extraterritoriality and are subject exclusively to American laws. Therefore, they commit such unacceptable acts as driving being in alcohol and drug intoxication, car accidents, theft, rape and murder. It is important to note that only in the period from 1972 to 2009, according to statistics, the American occupiers committed 5634 criminal offenses in Okinawa, including such especially grave ones. For example, in 1995, a wide resonance got the abduction and murder of a 12-year-old Japanese schoolgirl by three Americans, for which the participants in this crime received minimal sentences. In 2016, there was a loud rape and murder of a local resident committed by former US Marine C. Franklin, for which the US government was eventually forced to make concessions and extradited the perpetrator to a Japanese court that sentenced him to life imprisonment. Also, on April 14, 2019, it became known that an American soldier had killed a Japanese woman and killed himself at Okinawa in Tyatan city. As reported, "The New York Times", citing the state-public central television and radio company of Japan NHK and local media, in one of the apartments the police found the corpses of a 32-year-old US Marine, who served in the headquarters of the troops on the island, and 44-year-old resident. It should be noted that since the transfer of Okinawa to the jurisdiction of Japan in 1972, the number of crimes committed by American soldiers has been approaching six thousand, and the one described above is far from the hardest of them. However, despite the fact that Takeo Akiba, the vice-minister of foreign affairs of Japan, protested to William F. Hagerty, the US ambassador to Japan, who in turn replied with regret that the United States would fully cooperate with the investigation and "will do everything possible to prevent the recurrence of such a case", all actions on the part of the authorities are being completed. But opponents of the presence of the American military contingent on the territory of Okinawa argue their protests not only by the criminal aspect, but also by the location of the American "Futemma" base in the center of a big city of Japan, which represents a great threat to the safety of its many residents, as evidenced by numerous aviation incidents. Thus, the only one who does not oppose the expansion of the American military presence in Japan is only its government, which is supposed to protect the sovereignty and independence of its country, and also respect the rights and point of view of its own population. However, the political leadership of Japan not only cannot do anything with the uncontrolled American occupiers, but also favorably serves them. Also, it becomes clearly visible with some indifference Tokyo and Washington refer to the local people of Okinawa, spitting on the numerous immoral and unacceptable actions of the American military in Japan. And the situation, in which the country is today, shows that if the Russian Kuril Islands in some incredible way will go over to Japan, then the islands will automatically become American ones, due to the weakness of the Japanese government and complete control of the US government.
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The Ministry of Education of Japan amended the textbooks on the history of junior classes. Maps and other visual materials concerning the disputed territories were added to schoolchildren textbooks. Thus, in the new school textbooks for junior high schools, the Kuril Islands are called "our native territory." They explain it to schoolchildren: during the World War II, the USSR seized the "northern territories", invading the country and thus violating a bilateral non-aggression treaty. Important circumstances, clarifying the real essence of the issue in the textbooks are missing. As explained in the Japanese Ministry of Education, the educational materials have been corrected in accordance with "the government’s policy of actively advocating the Japanese position on disputed islands". Previously, only senior pupils were told about this problem, now they have decided to start ideological processing from elementary school. Apparently, as a teenager, the young Japanese learned that all the disputed territories belong to Japan and that their neighbors occupied those territories. It should be noted that the textbooks are not only about the Kuril Islands, Japan makes territorial claims and other neighbors. Thus, Tokyo claims Dokdo Islands (the English name is Liancourt, the Japanese name is Takeshima), which became part of South Korea as a result of the World War II. As in the case of the Kuril Islands, the Japanese authorities believe that the island of Dokdo rejected illegally. Much attention is paid to the dispute between Japan and China over the Senkaku archipelago. Schoolchildren are told that the Chinese name Diaoyudao is inappropriate, since this is also Japanese land. According to the authors of the textbook, in the XIX century, Japanese authorities began to explore the uninhabited islands in the East China Sea and immediately incorporated them into the country. After World War II, the archipelago passed to the United States, but in 1972 the Americans returned it to the Japanese. And then China claimed the islands. The Chinese side notes that Diaoyudao archipelago belonged to the Chinese empire 600 years ago, which was confirmed by the documents. In particular, Beijing demonstrates Japanese maps of the 18th century, where the islands were marked as Chinese. South Korea was the first to respond to the actions of the Japanese Ministry of Education. An official representative of the Foreign Ministry claims that such school allowances distort history and harm bilateral relations. He stressed that "Seoul strongly condemns history textbooks taught in Japan. The claims to Dokdo Island that were made in the textbooks were not justified in any way. The islands are our original territory, not Japanese. History, geography and international law are evidence of that". Russian politicians also did not stand aside. The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly called on Japan not to distort the facts of history before. The State Duma deputies reminded the Japanese that Moscow and Tokyo continue to discuss the peace treaty, but there are no agreements on the territorial issue. The parliamentarians noted that the position of the Japanese authorities in the textbooks is a falsification of history, and the younger generation will be disoriented. Tokyo is obliged to respect Russian sovereignty and national interests. However, Tokyo once again demonstrated to Moscow the unshakable position of the Japanese leadership at any cost to seek revenge - a revision of the legitimate territorial results of the World War II. The fact that in the textbooks for Japanese children all the "northern territories" turned out to be painted over in color of Japan, testifies to the reluctance and political impossibility for Abe to abandon the idea of returning to the "northern territories". Thus, these actions are another step in the ongoing campaign of the government of Japan on the so-called upholding of their former territories. The decision of the Japanese leadership to instill in their countrymen from childhood that the southern Kuril Islands in Russia are their "ancestral territories" says only one thing - the problem is protracted and the next generations of Russian politicians will probably have to work with it.
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