Yoshihide Suga said that Tokyo “should discuss with the Russian Federation the ownership of all southern Kurils”.
On the Japanese television channel NHK, the new Chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Yoshihide Suga, who will be approved by Parliament as Prime Minister on 16 September, said that Japan will continue to consult with Russia on the peace treaty and to address the issue of all the islands in the southern part of the Kuril.
“As for the northern territories (as Japan calls the Southern Kuril Islands, which are part of the Russian Federation), we will continue negotiations to clarify the ownership of all four islands”, – he said.
It should be recalled that according to the amendments adopted to the Russian Constitution at the recent national voting, the rejection of any Russian territories is prohibited, and even an attempt to discuss this issue is a criminal offence.