Russia’s decision to stop talks on peace treaty with Japan remains in force

Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova has said that the decision to stop negotiations on a peace treaty with Japan remains in force.

In the current conditions, it is impossible to hold a dialogue with Tokyo, which takes an “unfriendly position” towards Moscow, Zakharova said during a briefing broadcasted on Rutube.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced his intention on January 30 to resolve territorial disputes with Russia and conclude a peace treaty. He emphasised that Japan will continue expanding sanctions against Russia.

Zakharova reminded at a briefing on January 31 that the Russian Foreign Ministry published a statement on measures in response to Japanese sanctions on March 21, 2022. Then the Russian side stated that it would not negotiate a peace treaty with a country that holds openly unfriendly positions and seeks to harm Russia’s interests.

“I would like to emphasise that after the start of the special military operation, the Japanese government has been pursuing an openly unfriendly policy towards Russia. “In such conditions, we see no way to continue the ongoing dialogue with Tokyo on the conclusion of a fundamental document, which was intended to lay the foundation for long-term, good-faith relations,” she said. 

Japan disputes Russia's sovereignty over the Southern Kuril islands (Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai islands). Russia controls them after World War II. In March 2021, then-Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that this issue could be resolved on the basis of the Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956. According to it, Moscow may consider the possibility of transferring Habomai and Shikotan after the conclusion of a peace treaty.