Kuril Islands dispute
On the 7th of February 1855, representatives from the Russian Empire and Tokugawa Japan signed the Treaty of Shimoda in Edo. This document drew a specific line between two islands to define their shared border. Article 2 stated that the island of Iturup belonged entirely to Japan while Urup and all islands to the north belonged to Russia. The treaty left three smaller islands south of Iturun unnamed but understood as Japanese territory at that time. These islands included Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai Islands. No other power claimed these southern islets during the negotiations. The agreement established official relations between the two empires for the first time. It also declared that Sakhalin would remain under joint control rather than being split between them.
Soviet forces invaded the Kuril Islands starting on the 18th of August 1945, just days after Japan announced its surrender. The operation continued until September 3 when formal hostilities ended. Japanese inhabitants living on these islands were expelled from their homes two years later. The United States had assisted this invasion through Project Hula by transferring naval vessels to the Soviet Union. Millions of soldiers faced each other along the Manchurian border between 1939 and 1945 before the attack began. The Soviet Union declared war on Japan on the 8th of August 1945, following a secret countdown agreed upon in the Yalta Agreement. Nazi Germany surrendered on May 8, which triggered the final phase of the conflict against Japan. The invasion resulted in the complete removal of the existing population from the disputed chain.
The San Francisco Peace Treaty signed on the 8th of September 1951, stated that Japan renounced all rights to the Kuril Islands but did not explicitly recognize Soviet sovereignty over them. Article 2c of the treaty listed the islands Japan gave up without naming specific territories like Kunashiri or Etorofu. The Soviet Union refused to sign this document because it lacked explicit language confirming their ownership. John Foster Dulles, the chief U.S. negotiator at the conference, clarified that Habomai and Shikotan were properly part of Hokkaido. The U.S. Senate Resolution of the 28th of April 1952, stated that nothing in the treaty diminished Japan's rights to these islands. Russia maintains that the Yalta Agreement already granted them sovereignty while Japan argues the treaty left the status undetermined. This legal gap has prevented a formal peace treaty between Tokyo and Moscow for decades.
On the 19th of October 1956, the Soviet Union and Japan signed the Joint Declaration in Moscow to end their state of war. The agreement offered to return only two small islands, Shikotan and Habomai, in exchange for a peace treaty. Japan declined the offer initially because they demanded all four disputed islands be returned. The United States warned Japan that accepting fewer islands would mean losing control over Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands. Vladimir Putin offered to return Shikotan and Habomai again as late as 2006 if Japan renounced claims to the larger islands. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida declared on the 7th of March 2022, that the southern Kurils are an integral part of Japan following sanctions over Ukraine. Russia announced its withdrawal from peace talks on the 21st of March 2022, freezing joint economic projects related to the dispute. No permanent peace treaty has been concluded since the original 1956 declaration.
Dmitry Medvedev ordered advanced weapons deployed on the Kuril Islands on the 10th of February 2011, to ensure security. Plans were announced on February 15 to place anti-air missile systems across the archipelago. The 18th Machine Gun Artillery Division received upgrades to become a modern motorized infantry brigade with air defense capabilities. Bal rocket systems were stationed in Kunashir while Bastion systems went to Iturup by the 25th of March 2016. S-300V4 versions of the S-300VM missile system were deployed for combat duty on Iturup in December 2020. A division of Bastion coastal defense missile systems arrived at Paramushir on the 22nd of March 2023. These military reinforcements aim to protect Russian strategic interests against foreign air traffic and potential threats from neighboring nations.
Kenjiro Suzuki heads the Tokachi branch of the League of Chishima Habomai Islands Residents and lost his family home during the expulsion. His organization had a budget of approximately 187 million yen in 2008 to support displaced families. Former residents have been allowed to visit family graves since 1964 under humanitarian exceptions but seek easier access to other islands. Russia started allowing visits to smaller islands in 2018 through a new tour ship check procedure that reduced travel time to about three hours. Public polling in July 2009 showed 89% of Russians opposed territorial concessions to Japan compared to only 7% support in May 2016. The Ainu community living in Kamchatka Krai wrote a letter to Vladimir Putin in 2004 urging him to reconsider any award of Southern Kuril Islands to Japan. They blamed Japanese, Tsarist Russian, and Soviet actions for crimes including killings and assimilation of their people.
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Common questions
Which islands were assigned to Japan and Russia in the Treaty of Shimoda signed on the 7th of February 1855?
The Treaty of Shimoda designated Iturup as Japanese territory while assigning Urup and all northern islands to Russia. The treaty also recognized Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai Islands as belonging to Japan.
When did Soviet forces invade the Kuril Islands and what happened to the Japanese inhabitants?
Soviet forces invaded the Kuril Islands starting on the 18th of August 1945 following a declaration of war on the 8th of August 1945. Japanese inhabitants living on these islands were expelled from their homes two years later during the complete removal of the existing population.
Why does the San Francisco Peace Treaty signed on the 8th of September 1951 fail to resolve the dispute between Japan and Russia?
Japan renounced all rights to the Kuril Islands in the treaty but the document did not explicitly recognize Soviet sovereignty over them. The Soviet Union refused to sign this document because it lacked explicit language confirming their ownership of the territories.
What agreement was signed by the Soviet Union and Japan on the 19th of October 1956 regarding island returns?
The Joint Declaration offered to return only two small islands named Shikotan and Habomai in exchange for a peace treaty. Japan declined the offer initially because they demanded all four disputed islands be returned rather than just the smaller ones.
Which military systems were deployed on the Kuril Islands under Dmitry Medvedev orders on the 10th of February 2011?
Dmitry Medvedev ordered advanced weapons including Bal rocket systems stationed in Kunashir and Bastion systems placed on Iturup by the 25th of March 2016. S-300V4 versions of the missile system were deployed for combat duty on Iturup in December 2020 while coastal defense systems arrived at Paramushir on the 22nd of March 2023.
How does the League of Chishima Habomai Islands Residents support displaced families and what do public polls show about Russian opinion?
Kenjiro Suzuki heads the Tokachi branch of the organization which had a budget of approximately 187 million yen in 2008 to support displaced families. Public polling in July 2009 showed 89% of Russians opposed territorial concessions to Japan compared to only 7% support in May 2016.