The Kuril Islands 2011: the USA has shown the imperialistic grin?

Moscow. February, 18. INTERFAX.RU – the Americans have decided to remind of the position of a territorial accessory of the Southern Kuril Islands after a series of statements of the high-ranking Russian military men about the necessity of strengthening of a defensive component of islands. The USA recognizes the sovereignty of Japan over four southern islands of the Kuril ridge and support efforts of Moscow and Tokyo on peace treaty signing, has declared the American embassy in Moscow to "Interfax" on Friday. "The government of the USA supports Japan in this question and recognizes the Japanese sovereignty over islands", has told the embassy of the USA to "Interfax" in reply to the request to explain an official position of Washington on a territorial question between Russia and Japan.
The embassy also has underlined that Washington "supports efforts of the governments of Japan and Russia on achievement of the ripened peace treaty and strengthening the mutual relations between them in whole".

The day before, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Alexander Lukashevich, answering the question of "Interfax", has declared that Moscow vigorously rejects the possibility of any negotiations with Japan on a so-called territorial question. "The negotiations on these themes are not conducted. Actually, the negotiations are out of the question as our positions differ cardinally ", he has declared at a briefing in Moscow."The question on the sovereignty of Russia over the Kuril Islands is irrevocable and it isn't a subject to any doubts", has underlined the Russian diplomat.

At the same time he has noticed that Russia is ready to dialogue on the conclusion of the peace treaty with Japan. "We are still adjusted to discuss the questions, concerning the conclusion of the Russian-Japanese peace treaty with Japanese colleagues", Lukashevich has declared. He has specified that for this purpose it is necessary for Japan to recognize the results of the Second World War.

Earlier the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov has told about this. "There is no other way until Japan won't make that other countries have already made, namely recognizes the Second World War results", he has told.

The relations of Moscow and Tokyo have seriously become complicated after the Japanese officials have expressed their opinion in harsh terms about the trips of the Russian management to the Kuril Islands, naming them, in particular, “rough outrage". In answer to it, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia has specified that to carry the dialogue about the peace treaty in such conditions is senseless while Tokyo won't change the position.
Meanwhile the secretary general of the Cabinet of Ministers of Japan Yukio Edano will go to a two-day trip to Hokkaido Island on Saturday in order to examine the Kuril Islands from air. "The question of the northern territories is a problem not only of the former inhabitants of these islands but also of all people of Japan. I want to raise the degree of understanding of this problem by the Japanese public", Edano has declared, whom BBC quoted on Friday.

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Seiji Maehara has spent the survey of disputable territories in December of last year. The Japanese minister has flown round the Kuril Islands by the helicopter and then has examined the southern part of the Kuril ridge from Japanese island Hokkaido with the help of binoculars. The trip of Japanese head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken place a month later after the visit of the president of Russia Dmitry Medvedev to island Kunashir. Following the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the prime minister of that country Naoto Kan has also expressed the intention to make survey from air of the Kuril Islands which were disputed by Tokyo.

Then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia has declared that Moscow doesn't object that the Japanese management has admired beauty of the Southern Kuril Islands from their territory. "Surely we know about the intentions of the prime minister and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan in the near future to visit the area of the northeast part of island Hokkaido and to carry out a certain visual survey of the South Kuril islands from there", has told the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in December of last year. "Certainly we don't have any objections against the Japanese politicians could admire the beauty of our surprising landscapes from their territory", he has underlined.

So, what conclusions should make Russia from this? It is very likely that all steps which have been made for the last quarter of the century firstly by the Soviet Union and then by Russia to give to understand to the West that we are not going to conflict with somebody and we are going to solve all questions on the basis of strict observance of the international arrangements following the results of the Second World War, simply were in vain!

As the USA made a cat’s paw out of somebody, that is have won the war...

It will be recalled that the USA was going to be at war with Japan without the help of the USSR, even after the use of the nuclear weapon right up to 1947 … in August, 1945, the USSR has played a decision role in the defeat of imperialistic Japan, having crushed rapidly the Japanese Kwantung army in the Far East. Only after that Tokyo recognized the defeat and has agreed on full and unconditional surrender. One of a condition of the entry of our country into war in theater was the return of the southern part of island Sakhalin and four southern islands of the Kuril ridge, namely Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai... The conversations are beneath criticism that the use of a nuclear bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a determinative in the defeat of Japan: the matter is that the possibilities of strategic aircraft of that time allowed to reach the same result without the nuclear weapon. So, in the spring of 1945, the aircraft of allies dealt shortly with Dresden and as the result nearby 300 (!) thousand of the Germans have burned down in fire!

The nuclear bombardments of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (on August, 6th and 9th, 1945, accordingly) was unique example of fighting use of the nuclear weapon in the history of mankind. It was done by Armed forces of the USA at the final stage of the Second World War (the officially declared purpose was to accelerate the surrender of Japan).

In the morning of August 6, 1945, the American bomber B-29 “Enola Gay” under the command of colonel Pol Tibbets has dumped a nuclear bomb “Little Boy” on the Japanese city Hiroshima, the equivalent of which was from 13 to 18 kilotons of trotyl. Three days later the nuclear bomb “Fat Man” has been dumped on a city of Nagasaki by pilot Charles Suini, the commander of bomber B-29 “Bockscar”. The total number of victims was from 90 to 166 thousand people in Hiroshima and from 60 to 80 thousand people in Nagasaki.
Thus, the nuclear bomb never could lead to surrender of Japan...

What Japan will receive from the islands?

a) In political sense – the essential increase of the international authority of the country that, according to the opinion of Tokyo, would promote the reduction of the world status of Japan in conformity with its economic power.

b) In the economic plan – the southern Kuril Islands and an adjoining 200-mile economic zone have exclusive value of stocks of fish production (South Kuril expedition gives the half of manufacture of all Russian fish-producing enterprises of the Far East) and stocks of minerals (including and strategic) both on islands and on a shelf adjoining to them that has huge value for Japanese economy.

c) In the military plan - the possession of the islands of South Kuril ridge would provide a free access to sea of Okhotsk for the navy of Japan and the USA and would allow to carry out the control over strategically important strait zones, thereby no to suppose the expansion of forces of Pacific fleet of Russia, including the submarines with ballistic missiles, in the areas of operative bases.

The background

The records were kept in the archives that the Japanese state of that time officially didn't consider itself as the sovereign not only of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands but also of Hokkaido: that was confirmed by the political executive of Japan Matsudaira in the circular in connection with Russian-Japanese negotiations about the border and trade in 1772 year.

The first mention of the Kuril Islands in the Russian history was in 1646 year when N.I. Kolobov has told about the bearded Ainu people who were occupying the islands. The Dutch, German and Scandinavian medieval chronicles and cards were the evidence of the first Russian settlements of that time.
The names, given by Ainu people and who were the primary settlers of the Kuril Islands, have remained till now, despite numerous attempts of the citizens of Russia and Japan to rename them in their own way. So, the name of islands come from a word "kur" means a person, "Iturup" means "the big salmon", "Kunashir" means "black island", "Shikotan" - the best place. However the Kuril Islands in Japan are called till now as "Tisima" that means "One thousand islands".

Thus, the conclusion about the right of possession of the Kuril Islands by a principle of "earlier explorer" doesn't justify itself. The diplomatic relations are the following argument in dispute. For the first time the Russian-Japanese relations have been established in 1855 by the Shimoda Treaty about the borders and trade according to which the border between our countries has passed between the islands Urup and Iturup, that is Japan has received the legitimate rights for four southern islands of the Kuril ridge, namely Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan and island Habomai. Sakhalin was undivided. In the contract "the constant world and sincere friendship between Japan and Russia" also was proclaimed
In 1875 Russia has transferred the Northern Kuril Islands to Japan, having got in exchange all rights to Sakhalin. In the issue of the defeat in Russian-Japanese war of 1904-1905, Russia has lost the Southern Sakhalin and in 1920-25 the Northern Sakhalin was also under Japanese occupation. When the Russian diplomats have reminded the people of Japan that all these actions contradict the contract of 1875 year, so they have answered coldly: "The war crosses out all contracts. You have suffered the defeat and let's proceed from the situation which has developed today".
During almost all period of the Second World War (September, 1939 — August, 1945) Japan and the Soviet Union weren't at war. Because in April, 1941, the Pact of neutrality has been concluded between both countries with the expiration date of 5 years. On August 14th, Japan has accepted the conditions of the Potsdam declaration and capitulated before the union powers.
At the Yalta conference of 1945, the USSR, the USA and Great Britain have agreed about the participation of the Soviet Union in the war with Japan on the assumption of returning the Southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands to it after the end of war. On August 9, 1945 the USSR has begun the fight against Japan and in August-September occupied the Southern Kuril Islands. In 1946 the Southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands have been included in the structure of the USSR. In 1951 the peace treaty between Japan and allies has been signed in San Francisco, according to which Tokyo refused the claims on the Southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

It seemed that everything has fallen into place: Japan, having lost last war, has lost the territories which have received, having won the previous one. The third country, namely the USA, seriously interferes with the relations between two countries during this period, having complicated the outwardly simple situation to such degree, as the lawyers are not able to find a way out of a current situation even the present day.

In September, 1951, at peace conference in San Francisco, Japan has been compelled to sign the peace treaty, under which it refused all territories and including the Kuril Islands, which received under the Portsmouth contract of 1905 year. Being at full approval of the USA, this contract has been made very ambiguously and it was not specified exactly who comes into possession of the Kuril Islands. The islands also haven't been named and because of it the USSR hasn't signed the contract of San Francisco.
The second attempt to conclude the peace treaty with Japan has been undertaken later. From June, 1955 to November, 1956, Japan and Soviet Union carried on the negotiations for the purpose of the conclusion of the separate peace treaty between both countries. These negotiations haven't led to any agreement: the Japanese party declared that Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai ridge were the territory of Japan and demanded their returning and the Soviet party took such position that, having agreed to return only Shikotan and Habomai, couldn’t return Iturup and Kunashir.

As a result, Japan and the USSR have signed the Joint declaration instead of the peace treaty that is the contract, providing the termination of a state of war and restoration of diplomatic relations. The article 9 of this contract says that after an establishment of diplomatic relations, the parties will continue the negotiations about the peace treaty conclusion and the USSR will return Habomai ridge and island Shikotan after the conclusion of the peace treaty.
The Japanese-Soviet Joint declaration is ratified by the parliaments of both countries and is the contract deposited in the United Nations. Therefore, it is natural and positive that the government of the Russian Federation declares about the maintenance of this Declaration, having inheriting the international legal rights and duties of the USSR.

The problem of Habomai and Shikotana as a part of a territorial question between Japan and the USSR basically is resolved by the Japanese-Soviet Joint declaration. Therefore, there is a problem of Iturup and Kunashir which should be solved at negotiations on the peace treaty.
But in 1960 Japan has signed the military contract with the USA which fixed the stay of the American bases in its territory. This pact has been regarded as an aggressive one in the USSR. The "memorandum" has been directed to Tokyo in which it was told that there is a new position at which it is impossible to carry out the promise about the transfer of Habomai and Shikotan.

That lasted till Mikhail Gorbachev visited Japan and first for more then 30 years didn’t say aloud that the territorial problem still exists.
On April 18, 1991 he has signed "the Joint Soviet-Japanese statement", the item 4 of which assumed the realization of working out and the contract conclusion between Japan and the USSR, "including a problem of territorial delimitation taking into account the positions of the parties about the property of islands Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup".
The Japanese public has quickened extremely, the problem of "northern territories" seemed already half resolved. But still high hopes in Japan began to assign to Yeltsin's epoch. In October, 1993 during Boris Yeltsin's visit to Japan, the Tokyo declaration calling for the prompt conclusion of the peace treaty and the decision of a territorial problem has been signed.
The considerations of national prestige of both parties did almost impossible the territorial concessions. The last attempt of compromise achievement was the plan of Boris Yeltsin and Ryutaro Hashimoto in 1997 year, well-known as "meetings without ties"

It is not necessary to awake the Russian bear!

Russia never refused the recognition of the Declaration of 1956 year according to which two islands of the southern Kuril ridge can be transferred to Japan, and it was repeatedly declared at level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. However Tokyo needs more – either everything or nothing!

The role of the USA in this question is rather indicative. Standing aside, they, possibly, would like to weaken Russia even more. But in that case, someone would like it probably in Washington. According to the elementary logic, it should be necessary to reconsider the results of Second World War including the recognition of the Nazis as the military criminals …
However, it isn’t surprise when the USA shut eyes to fascism revival in the countries of the Baltic States and all-round support of such odious figures as Yushchenko and Saakashvili. By what such development of events is fraught for Europe? The third world war …

It would be desirable to remind the apologists of such initiatives: there were many those who so desire to win Russia in the history but as a result they always remained defeated. Don't awake the evil while it is still …