Unresolved territorial dispute with Russia prevents Japan from recognizing WWII outcomes - Japanese Foreign Ministry
TOKYO. Feb 19 (Interfax) - Japan cannot recognize the WWII outcomes because some of them, primarily the 'territorial delimitation', are not finalized in its relations with Moscow, the Japanese Foreign Ministry has said.
"Japan and Russia have not summed up some of the WWII results. Hence, we are still negotiating a peace treaty so that the WWII results are completely summarized, and the outstanding question of territorial delimitation is resolved," Toshihiro Aiki, deputy general director of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Europe department, told Interfax in an interview. He was commenting on the appeals of senior Russian officials for recognition of WWII outcomes.
"The notion of a peace treaty has three elements. First, the termination of war. Second, the resolution of the problem of reparation and other claims. Third, territorial delimitation between Japan and the Soviet Union after WWII," he said.
The Soviet Union did not sign the San Francisco treaty between the anti-Hitler coalition and Japan in 1951.
"We decided to hold separate negotiations on the peace treaty between Japan and the Soviet Union. Yet, the sides failed to agree on territorial delimitation in 1956, although the other problems were resolved. This is why, the sides signed a joint declaration rather than a peace treaty in 1956," Aiki said.
""The essence of the peace treaty negotiations between Russia and Japan is the territorial issue, i.e. the belonging of four northern islands," he said.
Japan is claiming four southern islands of the Kuril chain - Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai - on the basis of the 1855 Treaty of Commerce and Navigation. Moscow says that the South Kurils were incorporated into Russia after WWII, and the Russian sovereignty over those islands was recorded in international legal documents and beyond doubt.
