Residents asked for as soon as possible to solve the problem

Photo: AFP

In Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confirmed his country’s readiness to discuss with Russia the territorial issue. The head of government announced this at a meeting with former residents of the “Northern territories” as in Japan called the southern Kuril Islands.

“I want to keep close and active negotiating process which will lead to the decision”, – said the Prime Minister.

Pupils from the Northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, in turn, asked the Prime Minister to “make an effort to as soon as possible former residents could freely visit the four Northern Islands”.

As is known, Russia and Japan since the middle of last century, with interruptions are negotiating a peace Treaty at the end of the Second world war. The main obstacle remains the problem of the affiliation of the southern part of the Kuril Islands – Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai group.

Currently deployed on the Kuril Islands, the 18th machine gun-artillery division of the Russian Federation, part of the Eastern military district of Russia.