Japan has lodged a strong protest with Russia after Moscow reportedly banned foreign ships from exercising the right of ‘innocent passage’ near disputed islands in the Far East.
The islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in Russia as the Southern Kurils, have remained a constant source of friction between the two nations, standing in the way of a formal peace treaty since the end of World War II.
The dispute dates back to when Soviet forces seized four islands—Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and Habomai—that had been administered by Japan. While Moscow maintains the transfer was legitimised under postwar agreements, Tokyo continues to assert that the islands were illegally occupied.
According to Japan’s Sankei Shimbun, Russia’s suspension took effect Monday, barring for