Kuril Islands DisputeCase Study of Russian-Japanese RelationsJason BootheGEOG 443

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 1

GEOGRAPHY 2

EARLY HISTORY AND RELATIONS 2

EARLY HISTORY 2THE FIRST TREATIES 3

20 TH CENTURY CONFLICTS 4

SECOND WORLD WAR 4THE TREATY OF SAN FRANCISCO 6SOVIET-JAPANESE JOINT DECLARATION OF 1956 7

PRESENT DAY AND CURRENT VIEWS 7

PRESENT SITUATION 7

APPENDIX A

MAPS A

Bibliography c

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IntroductionSince the time of the Edo period, if not earlier, Japan has been a series of

territorial disputes with its neighbors. For the most part, many of these territorial

disputes remain today. Some have faded away over time, while others still persist

today. These issues present a constant challenge to the relations between Japan and

its neighbors. While serious armed conflicts between Japan and its neighbors over

territory has not happened since the Second World War, tensions over these

disputed territories remain, and it is not uncommon to hear of skirmishes.

One issue in particular is that of the Japanese dispute with Russia over the

Kuril Islands (Russian: Кури́�льски́е острова́� , Kuril'skie ostrova; Japanese: 千島列

島, Chishima rettō). The dispute over the sovereignty of these islands dates to nearly

the time that Russian Empire began to make its presence known in the Pacific in the

1600’s. Armed conflict and subsequent treaties in the 1800s and 1900s lead to

several border changes between the two nations involving the island chain.

Currently the dispute arises from the perceived ambiguity on both sides left behind

by the Yalta Agreement, the Potsdam Declaration and the Treaty of San Francisco,

particularly pertaining to the area of the Kuril Islands known to the Japanese as The

Northern Territories (Japanese: 北方領土 Hoppō Ryōdo), the islands of Iturup

(Russian: )/Etorofu Island (Japanese: Итуруп 択捉島 Etorofu-tō), Kunashir

(Russian: )/Kunashiri Island (Japanese: Кунашир 国後島 Kunashiri-tō), Shikotan

(Russian: )/Shikotan Island (Japanese: Шикотан 色丹島 Shikotan-tō), and Habomai

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rocks (Russian: ostrova Habomai)/Habomai Islands (Japanese: острова Хабомаи

歯舞諸島 Habomai-shotō).

The purpose of this paper is to examine the geographic background of the

islands, the history of the dispute, the perspective of the current status of the

dispute from both the Russians and Japanese, as well as what the future possibly

holds.

Geography The Kuril Islands are a volcanic archipelago stretching approximately 810

miles northeast from Hokkaido to the southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

There are fifty-six identifiable islands in the chain, as well as a number of islets and

rocks. Currently the entire chain is under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation,

administered by Sakhalin Oblast. Japan disputes this and has claimed that the

islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and the Habomai rocks are part of its territory,

though it maintains no administrative control over the disputed area. The islands

represent an area of high volcanic and seismic activity.

Early History and Relations

Early History It is believed that the Ainu people were the first inhabitants of the islands,

little documentation exists pertaining to human settlement of the islands prior to

17th century. The Japanese were the first to take administrative control over the

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islands during the Edo period. The control was nominal and in the form of claims

made by the Matsumae clan. By the 17th century, the Russian Empire began to

encroach on the Kurils; however, this encroachment was limited to research and

hunting expeditions that never ventured south of Urup Island (Kashrinnkov, 1972.).

By the 18th century, Russian settlements began to spread as far south as

Iturup. It was at this time that agents representing the Russian Empire made contact

with and established limited relations with the Japanese people. At the same time,

the Japanese under the leadership of the Tokugawa shogunate, began to exert

limited control over the lower Kuril Islands (Stephan, 1974.).

These relations, however, did not lead to constant harmony between the two

groups. It was not uncommon for members of one nation to inadvertently wander

into or become shipwrecked in the territory to the other, knowledge of the borders

were ill defined at the time. These incidents continued to increase to the point of full

attacks by Russian settlers on Japanese controlled sites in the island chain. By the

early 19th century, it was clear that a border would have to be decided between the

two nations. After some discussion, the Russian government de facto recognized

Etorofu as Japanese territory, thus establishing the first delamination, though not

official, of a border between the two nations (Stephan, 1974.).

The First TreatiesThis, however, would only lead to a short-term peace. By the mid century,

both nations began to saber rattle over issues concerning Sakhalin. By 1855, the

Russian government entered into negotiations with the Japanese government

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seeking an attempt to resolve these issues. The result was the Treat of Commerce,

Navigation and Delimitation or Shimoda Treaty. The Treaty, while officially

establishing diplomatic and trade relations between the nations, would also

demarcate an official border between Russia and Japan, between Etorofu and

Uruppu (Hasegawa, 1998.).

The treaty, however, failed to effectively address the Sakhalin Island issues.

By 1869, the now Meiji government of Japan negotiated the Treaty of Saint

Petersburg with the Russian government. The Treaty effectively acted as a trade, in

which the Russia gained complete control of Sakhalin (Japan giving up all claims of

the island), giving the Japan control over the entirety of the Kuril Islands (Hasegawa,

1998.).

The next several decades were relative quiet in regards to the Kuril Islands.

While Japan and Russia/Soviet Union were involved military conflicts between the

signing of the Treaty of Saint Petersburg and the Second World War, all were

centered on mainland Asia (Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula) or Sakhalin

Island. The results of the conflicts also played little part in border changes with

regards to the Kuril Islands (Hasegawa, 1998.).

20th Century Conflicts

Second World WarFrom the end of the Japanese-Soviet Border Wars in 1939 to when the Soviet

Union declared war on the Japanese Empire in 1945 there were virtually no

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hostilities between the two nations. Between August 18 and September 3, Soviet

forces captured the Kuril Islands in anticipation of a possible invasion of Hokkaido.

The war concluded prior to an invasion of Hokkaido commenced (Hasegawa, 1998.)

(Kimura, 2008).

The modern day dispute arises from this incident and subsequent

agreements and treaties. Major ambiguities and disagreements over the status of

the Kuril Islands is the result primarily of the Yalta agreement, the Potsdam

Declaration, and the Treaty of San Francisco. (Kimura, 2008)

The Yalta agreement, negotiated between the Allied powers (United States,

United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union) and signed by them in February of 1945,

stated that the Kurile Islands should be handed over to the Soviet Union. Japan

disputes this in that it believes that the area of the Kuril Islands it calls the Northern

Territories are not part of the Kuril Islands, so there for the Yalta agreement should

not apply to them (Elleman, Nichols, and Ouimet, 1998) (Kimura, 2008).

Japan points to wording in the Potsdam Declaration, which refers to the Cairo

Declaration, to support its claim to the Northern Territories. The Potsdam

Declaration mentions that Japanese sovereignty following the Second World War be

limited to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, and minor outlining

islands to be determined by the terms set in the Cairo Declaration. The Cairo

Declaration, agreed to in 1943 by the Allied powers, stated “Japan will also be

expelled from all other territories which she has taken by violence and greed.” Japan

has argued that neither the Cairo nor Potsdam Declarations applied to the Northern

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Territories. Prior to the war, the islands were possessions of Japan (since 1855), and

they were not among those territories that Japan acquired by “violence or greed”

during the Second World War (Elleman, Nichols, and Ouimet, 1998) (Kimura, 2008)

(Hasegawa, 1998.).

The Treaty of San FranciscoIn the early 1950s, the Allied powers began to negotiate with Japan for a

permanent peace treaty that would reintroduce Japan back into the international

community. However during negotiations, a substantial dispute arose between

Japan, the Unites States, and the Soviet Union, in regards to the Kuril Islands. The

point of discontent for the Soviet Union was text in a draft stating that while Japan

would renounce all of their right to the Kuril Islands (as well as southern Sakhalin),

they would not have to recognize the sovereignty of the Soviet Union to these

territories. A variation of this would be in the final version of the treaty (Kimura,

2008) (Hara, 2001).

The Soviet Union would end up not signing the treaty, which was officially

signed by 49 other nations including Japan and the United States. The Soviets stated

publicly that the Kuril Island issue, as well as other issues, led them not to agree

with the terms of the treaty, and therefor not sign it. The United States would go on

to pass a resolution giving support to the Japanese position of the Soviet Union

having no claim to the Kurils, with particular mention of the islands making up the

Northern Territories (Hara, 2001) (Narochniskaya, 2005).

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Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956By 1956, another attempt was made for a peace treaty between the Japanese

and the Soviets. The Soviets put forth a proposal that they would settle the dispute

by returning to Japan Shikotan and Habomai for the ratification of the treaty. Japan,

realizing that its claims to Etorofu and Kunashiri were relatively weak, agreed to the

settlement. The United States attempted to scuttle the treaty by asserting that the

San Francisco treaty left the sovereignty of territories renounced by Japan

undetermined, and that because of this Japan does not have the right to transfer

sovereignty of said territories (Hara, 2001).

Irregardless of the to the dissatisfaction of the United States, the Soviet Union

and Japan signed the Joint Declaration on October 19, 1956 in Moscow. While this

ended the sate of war between the two nations, it did not address the Kuril Islands

dispute. To this day the Russians have yet to return the sovereignty of Shikotan and

Habomai to the Japanese. Ambiguous language in the Joint Declaration places the

time of a transfer of sovereignty for the two island happening after a formalized

peace treaty is adopted by both nations, a step that has yet to occur (Hara, 2001)

(Kimura, 2008).

Present Day and Current Views

Present SituationSince the 1956 Joint Declaration, little has happened in regards to the

settlement of the Kuril Islands Dispute. No peace treaty has been formalized

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between the nations; with both nations are holding positions similar to those they

had when the 1956 Joint Declaration was implemented.

According to scholars, now looking at it in retrospect, the best opportunity to

reach a settlement, at least favorable to the Japanese, might have come during the

Gorbachev and Yeltsin Presidencies of the Soviet Union/Russia. At this time,

relations between the two nations were seen as more favorable than previously and

currently. Several dialogs were attempted during this time, but none would pan out

(Satoshi, 1991) (Okuyama, 2003) (Hasegawa, 1998.).

In recent years, neither Tokyo nor Moscow, have put forth much effort in

regards to attempting a mutual settlement for this dispute. In fact, both nations have

made moves reinforcing their claims.

Current View of JapanJapan is primarily interested in the part of the Kuril Islands that sits nearest

to Hokkaido, the territory it labels the Northern Territories. The Government of

Japan makes it case for its claim primarily in the forum of international law and

historical arguments. The government states that Soviet Union broke international

law when it occupied the Northern Territories in 1945, a violation of the Soviet-

Japanese Neutrality Act. Japan also states that the Yalta Agreement is invalid, being

that as it was not a party to it when it was negotiated or agreed upon. The Potsdam

and Cairo Declarations do not apply to the Northern Territories, as Russia had no

claim to the territory prior to 1904. Japan has also stated that the San Francisco

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Treaty does not apply for the reason that the Soviet Union never agreed to it. The

Ministry of Foreign Affairs has produced a pamphlet that lists several other reasons

it disputes the claims of Russia (Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan), 2005).

However there is one significant argument that Japanese Government

continues to make. That is the Northern Territories are a separate entity from the

Kuril Islands. They fail to state if they define it as a political difference, or a physical

difference.

The public's interest in the dispute is difficult to gauge. While much of the

scholarly works on this subject comes out of Japan, there is little in the way of pure

opinion on the subject. There are private groups that advocate the government for a

return of Japanese control to the Northern Territories, but their influence is seen as

limited. Some nationalist parties and sects have expressed interest in retaking the

islands, but it is difficult to determine their effect on public policy.

Current View of RussiaRussia views the Kuril Islands as a strategic part of their Far East/Pacific

territories. Their basis for continuing to hold sovereignty over the Kuril Islands and

the Northern Territories lies in the actions of the Soviet Union during the Second

World War. Moscow states that the Yalta agreement, and subsequent agreements

and Treaties gave the Soviet Union the right to the entirety of the Kuril Islands. As

the successor state to the Soviet Union, the claims and agreements that were

afforded to the Soviet Union have been passed onto the Russian Federation. Moscow

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also believes that Tokyo’s claim that the Northern Territories are distinct from the

rest of the Kuril Islands is not supported by either history or geography

(Narochnitskaya, 2005).

The Russian publics attitude towards is similar to that of their government.

The Russian people believe that the entirety Kuril Islands are rightfully theirs. This

is a theme that is often repeated in the Russian media as well. While the Russian

government, the Russian media and the Russian public play a hardline stance,

Moscow has made overtures to Tokyo about resuming negotiations on a peace

treaty. At the same time though Moscow has pumped billions of dollars in

development aid to the Kuril Islands as well as increases their military presence in

the archipelago (RAI Novosit, 2011).

ConclusionIn conclusion, while both side seem amicable to discussing a peace treaty and

resolving this dispute, I do not foresee a resolution any time in the future. The

actions taken by the government in Moscow, such as the further militarization of the

Islands and the propaganda visits, shows to me that the Russians have little to no

interest in returning the Northern Territories to Japan. Japan seems to have just as

little interest, at least what i can see from the government, in having the islands

returned. Japan is concerned with the amount of influence that is being projected by

the Russians from these Islands. One concern that seems to be increasing with Japan

is Russia’s military build-up on the Islands.

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In evaluating the claims, I would have to give the edge to Japan. Though I’ll

admit my opinion on this could be seen as biased, for the reason being Japanese

writers wrote most of the scholarly information that I examined on the dispute. I see

their claim being on more solid footing in both a legal and historical sense then the

Russian claim to the Islands. It has been said though “To the Victor Goes the Spoils, ”

and being that Japan was not the victor in the Second World War, it lost its spoils to

the Soviet Union, who now as the Russian Federation is particularly reluctant to

relinquish.

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Appendix

Maps

Map 1. Map of Chisima, Gisuke Sasmori (1915)

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Map 2. Kuril Islands overview map with current Russian names (English transliteration). Borders of Shimoda Treaty (1855) and Treaty of St. Petersburg (1875) shown in red,

ChrisDHDR (2008)

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