Kuril Islands dispute

Quick Facts: Who was Kuril Islands dispute?

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Kuril Islands dispute

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A complex, ongoing territorial dispute between Japan and Russia over four southern islands.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

Russia and Japan have a territorial dispute over the four southernmost Kuril Islands, known in Russia as the Southern Kurils and in Japan as the Northern Territories. They are, from largest to smallest: Iturup/Etorofu, Kunashir/Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai Islands. The Kuril Islands are a chain of islands that stretch between the Japanese island of Hokkaido at their southern end and the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula at their northern end. The islands separate the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean. The four disputed islands, like other islands in the Kuril chain which are not in dispute, were unilaterally annexed by the Soviet Union following the Invasion of the Kuril Islands at the end of World War II.

Career & Major Achievements

The disputed islands are under Russian administration as the South Kuril District and part of the Kuril District of the Sakhalin Oblast (Сахалинская область, Sakhalinskaya oblast). They are claimed by Japan, which refers to them as its Northern Territories or Southern Chishima, and considers them part of the Nemuro Subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture. The San Francisco Peace Treaty, signed between the Allies and Japan in 1951, states that Japan renounces "all right, title and claim to the Kuril Islands", but does not explicitly recognize the Soviet Union's sovereignty over them. Japan claims that at least some of the disputed islands are not a part of the Kuril Islands, and thus are not covered by the treaty. Russia maintains that the Soviet Union's sovereignty over the islands was recognized in post-war agreements.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Japan and the Soviet Union ended their formal state of war with the Soviet–Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956 but did not sign a peace treaty. During talks leading to the joint declaration, the Soviet Union offered Japan the two smaller islands of Shikotan and the Habomai Islands in exchange for Japan renouncing all claims to the two larger islands of Iturup and Kunashir, but Japan declined the offer. This disagreement between the two-island offer made by the Soviet Union and Japan's demand of regaining two larger islands as well became the cornerstone for continuation of the dispute into the present day. The first Russo-Japanese agreement to deal with the status of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands was the 1855 Treaty of Shimoda, which first established official relations between the Russian Empire and Tokugawa Japan. Article 2 of the Treaty of Shimoda, which provided for an agreement on borders, states "Henceforth the borders between Russia and Japan will pass between the islands Iturup (Etorofu) and Urup (Uruppu).

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1855: 1855 Milestone — The first Russo-Japanese agreement to deal with the status of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands was the 1855 Treaty of Shimoda, which first established official relations between the Russian Empire and Tokugawa Japan.
2. 1951: 1951 Milestone — The San Francisco Peace Treaty, signed between the Allies and Japan in 1951, states that Japan renounces "all right, title and claim to the Kuril Islands", but does not explicitly recognize the Soviet Union's sovereignty over them.
3. 1956: 1956 Milestone — Japan and the Soviet Union ended their formal state of war with the Soviet–Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956 but did not sign a peace treaty.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Kuril Islands dispute

True or False: “The 1855 Treaty of Shimoda explicitly stated that the entire island of Iturup belonged to Japan.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Article 2 of the treaty stated that 'The whole island of Iturup belongs to Japan and the whole island Urup and the other Kuril Islands to the north constitute possessions of Russia'.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Kuril Islands dispute