TerritoriesofJapan:The NorthernTerritories

Northern Territories Issue Association(An Independent Administrative Agency)

https://www.hoppou.go.jp/en/

The Four Northern Islands consisting of Etorofu
Island, Kunashiri Island, Shikotan Island,
and the Habomai Islands are an inherent part of
the territory of Japan.
Situated off the northeastern coast of Hokkaido’s
main Island, these four islands have remained
occupied by Russia up until the present day,without any legal grounds.

Kunashiri Island

Shikotan Island

Hokkaido
2Habomai Islands©TRIC ／ NASDA ／ EOSAT, 1992

Etorofu Island

What is the Northern Territories Issue?
In 1855, Japan and Russia signed the Treaty of Commerce,Navigation and Delimitation between Japan and Russia (theShimoda Treaty) which confirmed the border between the twocountries as had been naturally formed between Etorofu

Island and Uruppu Island to the north. Since that time, the Four
Northern Islands have been an inherent part of Japan’s

territory that have never been a territory of any other country,
even in the context of bilateral international agreements.

However, in 1945, the Soviet Union (USSR) opened the war

against Japan, ignoring the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pactthen in effect. After Japan accepted the Potsdam Declarationand clearly stated its intention to surrender, the USSR

occupied all Four Northern Islands and forcibly deported
Japanese residents from the islands.

Russia’s occupation has continued to date without any legal
ground, and the Japanese people strongly demand the returnof the Four Northern Islands. This is the Northern Territories
Issue.

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The Northern Territories in International
Treaties
The Nineteenth Century
The Shimoda Treaty (1855)

Treaty for the Exchange of Sakhalin for thenaturally established border atJapan acquiredthe Kurile Islands in exchange

Kurile Islands (1875)

Japan and Russia confirmed afor the cession of the entire Island of Karafutothat time between the islands(Sakhalin) to Russia. In this Treaty, the Kurileof Etorofu and Uruppu. Etorofu,

Islands ceded by Russia (the eighteen islands

Kunashiri, Shikotan, and thenorth of Uruppu) are individually named, while

Habomai Islands were affirmed

Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomaias Japanese territory, while

Islands were not included in the Kuril Islands.

the Kurile Islands from Uruppu
northward as Russian.

History of the Northern Territories Issue
Sea of Okhotsk

Sea of Okhotsk

Kamchatka Peninsula

Kamchatka Peninsula

Kunashiri
Hokkaido

Shikotan
Habomai Islands

Pacific Ocean

4an
Hokkaido

Ku

rile

Isl
Kunashiri

Etorofu

The Shimoda Treaty (1855)

UrupKu

Urup

rile

Isl

an

ds

Sakhalinds

Sakhalin

Etorofu

Shikotan
Habomai Islands

Pacific Ocean

Treaty for the Exchange of Sakhalin
for the Kurile Islands (1875)

The Twentieth Century
Portsmouth Peace Treaty (1905)

San Francisco Peace Treaty (1951)

was signed to end the war between

right, title, and claim to the Kurile

As a result of this Treaty, which

Japan and Russia, the part of theKarafuto (Sakhalin) Island that lies
south of the 50th parallel north wasceded from Russia to Japan.

Under this Treaty, Japan renounced all
Islands and the southern part ofSakhalin. However, the treaty does not
specify to whom these islands belong.
In light of a series of the treaties

concluded between Japan and Russia in

the past, “the Kurile Islands” renounced
by Japan under this Treaty does notinclude the Four Northern Islands.

In addition, the Soviet Union did not sign
this treaty.

Mixed Settlement of Russianand Japanese Nationals

Japanese Territory

ment of Russiane Nationals

Russian / Soviet Territory

Russian / Soviet Territory

Jurisdiction undetermined

Sea of Okhotsk

Sea of Okhotsk

Kamchatka Peninsula

Kamchatka Peninsula

Sakhalin

Hokkaido

ds
lan
Ise
Kunashiri

Etorofu

Shikotan
Habomai Islands

Pacific Ocean

Portsmouth Peace Treaty (1905)

Hokkaido

rilKu

UrupKu

rile

Is

lan

ds

Sakhalin

Urup
Kunashiri

Jurisdiction unde

Etorofu

Shikotan
Habomai Islands

Pacific Ocean

San Francisco Peace Treaty (1951)

5Life Experiences of Former Japanese Residentsof the Northern Territories (former islanders)
At the end of the Second World War,
17,291 Japanese nationals lived in
3,124 household in the Northern
Territories of Etorofu, Kunashiri,
Shikotan, and the Habomai Islands.
About half of these islanders fled theirnative home, eluding the strict
monitoring of Soviet troops.
Those who stayed on the island weredeported by the Soviet Union between

Islanders attempting to flee by fishing boat.

1947 and 1948.
At present, no Japanese Nationals livein the Northern Territories, which is apart of Japanese territory.

Islanders being deported
Photo credit (lower): League of Residents of Chishima and Habomai Islands

After the end of the war, we heard from our school
principal that “Soviet troops will come to the school,” and thenduring math class, Soviet troops armed with guns marched into
the classroom without even taking off their boots.
I was terrified. It wasn’t long before Soviet soldiers even went
into people’s houses, taking away whatever they wanted.
Later, the families of the Soviet servicemen also began coming
TOKUNO Hiroshi,
a former residentof Shikotan

6to the island, as they occupied houses, we took up residence instorehouse and stables. In 1947,
the deportation order came, and we were detained in relocation
camps in Maoka in Karafuto (now Kholmsk in Sakhalin). Life in
the camps was miserable, and many of us ended up dying ofmalnutrition.

Diplomatic Negotiations between Japan and
the Soviet Union/Russia
The Government of Japan has been persistently engaged in diplomaticnegotiations with the Soviet Union and Russia, seeking a resolution of theNorthern Territories Issue based on the consistent and basic policy ofconcluding a peace treaty with Russia through the resolution of the issue ofthe attribution of the Four Northern Islands, which are an inherent part of theterritory of Japan. In recent years, as a result of cooperation between Japanand Russia, initiatives have been carried out in order to realize joint

economic activities in the Four Northern Islands, and former island residents
have visited the graves of their ancestors in the Four Northern Islands
by airplane.

Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration (1956)

Irkutsk Statement (2001)

Japanese-Soviet Joint Communiqué (1991)

Japan-Russia Action Plan (2003)

Tokyo Declaration (1993)

Statement for the press (2016)

Photo Credit: Photo of the Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration courtesy of Kyodo News; others from the Cabinet Public Relations Office.

7

Efforts by the Japanese People toward achieving
the Return of the Northern territories
Campaigns for the Return of the Northern Territories
In order to strongly support diplomatic negotiations by the Japanese
government with the Russian government to find a resolution of the Northern
Territories Issue, campaigns involving both the private and public sectors
demanding the return of the Four Northern Islands are being actively carried out
across Japan.

Central appeal action in support of the return of theNorthern Territories

Photo credit: Nemuro City

Nationwide Northern Territories Awareness-Raising
EventFour-Island Exchange Program
As part of efforts to improve the atmosphere for the resolution of the NorthernTerritories Issue, the four-island exchange program has been carried out in theform of mutual visits without passports or visas in order to promote mutual
understanding between the Japanese people and the residents of the Four
Northern Islands.

Visit by Japanese citizens (Shikotan cosplay exchange)

Northern Territories Issue Association(An Independent Administrative Agency)

Visit by residents of the four Northern Islands (exchangeof opinions with local residents in Akita Prefecture)

Sumitomo Fudosan Ueno Bldg. 9F, 1-9-12
Kitaueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo,110-0014
TEL 03 (3843) 3630 FAX 03 (3843) 3631
https://www.hoppou.go.jp/en/
Issued: January, 2021