Flag of Japan and Russia/ Photo Zoonar GmbH / Alamy / Alamy / Profimedia

The Kremlin sees Japan's attitude towards Russia as clearly hostile.

Tokyo continues to pursue a clearly hostile policy towards Moscow, said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's remark about his desire to resolve the "territorial issue" and sign a peace treaty with Russia despite the ongoing difficulties in bilateral relations. .

"Japan maintains a clearly hostile attitude towards our country," he told TASS, when asked if Tokyo had sent any signals about its readiness to restore ties.

The Japanese Prime Minister once again expressed his desire to sign a peace treaty with Moscow on January 24. According to him, relations between Japan and Russia are “in a difficult situation,” but Tokyo “will continue to pursue a policy aimed at resolving the territorial issue and” signing a peace treaty. Similar statements were made in the past by Ishiba’s predecessor, Fumio Kishida.

From the mid-20th century until their suspension, Moscow and Tokyo held talks in an attempt to conclude a peace treaty as a continuation of the fighting between the two countries at the end of World War II in August–September 1945. However, the issue of the southern Kuril Islands has consistently remained a key sticking point in such talks. In 1945, jurisdiction over the entire archipelago was granted to the Soviet Union. However, Tokyo claimed the islands of Iturup, Kunashir, and Shikotan, as well as a group of uninhabited islands. The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated that Moscow's sovereignty over the islands is enshrined in international law and cannot be questioned.

Japan has imposed several packages of sanctions on Russia after Moscow launched its special military operation in Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced in this regard that Moscow is suspending consultations on the issue of a peace treaty with Tokyo.

In his address to the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club last fall, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that Moscow had not taken a single step against Tokyo. He added that Russia would respond in kind if Japan showed a willingness to return to cooperation.

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