Kuril Islands - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Your continued donations keep Wikipedia running! Kuril Islands Location of Kuril Islands in the Western Pacific . For the political history of the sovereignty conflict, see Kuril Islands dispute . The Kuril Islands IPA : [kʰʊˈɹɪl aɪ̯ləndz] ( Russian : Кури́льские острова́ (/kuˈrʲilskiɪe əstrʌˈva/), Kuril'skie ostrova) or Kurile Islands in Russia 's Sakhalin Oblast region, stretch approximately 1,300 km (700 miles) northeast from Hokkaidō , Japan , to Kamchatka , Russia , separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands in total.

The Kuril Islands are known in Japanese as the Chishima Islands ( Kanji : 千島列島 / Hepburn Romaji : Chishima rettō /ʧiʃĭmaret:o:/, literally, Thousand Islands Archipelago), also known as the Kuriru Islands ( Kanji : クリル列島 / Hepburn Romaji : Kuriru rettō /kŭrirŭretːoː/, literally, Kuril Archipelago). The name Kuril originates from the autonym of the aboriginal Ainu : "kur", meaning man. It may also be related to names for other islands that have traditionally been inhabited by the Ainu people , such as Kuyi or Kuye for Sakhalin and Kai for Hokkaidō . The Kuril Islands form a volcanic island arc as a result of plate tectonics and are home to over 100 volcanoes, about 35 of which are active. The Kuril Trench is an oceanic trench that runs about 200 km east of the Kuril Islands. The islands themselves are summits of stratovolcanoes that rise from the seabed. There are frequent earthquakes .

The islands are renowned for their fogginess, but are rich in seaweed and marine life, such as fish and sea otters. The second northernmost, Atlasov Island (Oyakoba to the Japanese), is an almost perfect volcanic cone rising sheer out of the sea, and has led to many Japanese eulogies in haiku , wood-block prints , etc., extolling its beauty, much as they do the more well-known Mt. Fuji . Contents [ edit ] History The Kuril Islands first came under Japanese administration in the Edo period of Japan, in the form of claims by the Matsumae clan. It is claimed that the Japanese knew of the northern islands 370 years ago. (see "The Kuril Islands", John J Stephan, Clarendon Press, Oxford 1974, pp. 50-56). Trade between these islands and Ezo ( Hokkaidō ) existed long before then. On "Shōhō Onkuko Ezu", a map of Japan made by the Tokugawa shogunate , in 1644, there are 39 large and small islands shown northeast of the Shiretoko peninsula and Cape Nosappu .

Russia began to advance into the Kurils in the early 18th century. Although the Russians often sent expedition parties for research and hunted sea otters, they never went south of Urup island. This was because the Edo Shogunate controlled islands south of Iturup and had guards stationed on those islands to prevent incursions by foreigners. In 1811, Captain Golovnin and his crew, who stopped at Kunashir during their hydrographic survey, were captured by retainers of the Nambu clan, and sent to the Matsumae authorities. Because a Japanese seaman, Takataya Kahei, was also captured by a Russian vessel near Kunashir, Japan and Russia entered into negotiations to establish the border between the two countries (1813). The Treaty of Commerce, Navigation and Delimitation was concluded in 1855, and the border was established between Iturup and Urup. This border confirmed that Japanese territory stretched south from Iturup and Russian territory stretched north of Urup. Sakhalin remained a place where people from both countries could live.

In 1875 ( Treaty of Saint Petersburg ) Japan relinquished all its rights in Sakhalin in exchange for Russian cession of all its rights in the Kuriles to Japan. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05, Gunji , a retired Japanese military man and local settler in Shumshu , led an invading party to the Kamchatka coast. Russia sent reinforcements to the area to capture and intern this group. After the war was over, Japan received fishing rights in Russian waters as part of the Russo-Japanese fisheries agreement (until 1945). During their armed intervention in Siberia 1918-1925, Japanese forces from the northern Kurils, along with United States and European forces, occupied southern Kamchatka . Japanese vessels made naval strikes against Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky .

The Soviet Union reclaimed the South of Sakhalin and the Kuriles by force at the end of World War II ( Treaty of San Francisco ), but Japan maintains a claim to the four southernmost islands of Kunashir , Iturup , Shikotan , and the Habomai rocks, together called the Northern Territories (see Kuril Islands Dispute ). [ edit ] Japanese Administration in Kurile Archipelago In 1869, the new, Meiji government established the Colonization Commission in Sapporo to aid in the development of the northern area. Ezo was renamed Hokkaidō and Kita Ezo later received the name of Karafuto. Eleven provinces and 86 districts were founded by Meiji government and were put under the control of feudal clans. Because the new Meiji government could not sufficiently cope with Russians moving to south Sakhalin, the Treaty for exchange of Sakhalin for the Kuril Island was concluded in 1875 and 18 islands to the north of Uruppu, which had belonged to Russia, were transferred to Japan. Road networks and post offices were established on Kunashiri and Etorofu.

Life on the islands became more stable when a regular sea route connecting islands with Hokkaidō was opened and a telegraphic system began. At the end of the Taisho era, towns and villages were organized in the northern territories and village offices were established on each island. The Habomai island were all part of Habomai Village for example. In other cases the town and village system was not adopted on islands north of Uruppu , which were under direct control of Nemuro Subprefectural office of the Hokkaidō government. Each village had a district forestry system, a marine product examination center, a salmon hatchery, a post office, a police station, elementary school, Shinto temple, and other public facilities. In 1930, 8,300 people lived on Kunashiri island and 6,000 on Etorofu island, and most of them were engaged in coastal and high sea fishing.

[ edit ] Kuril during WW2 Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku , ordered the meeting of the Imperial Japanese Navy Strike force for the Hawaii Operation ( Pearl Harbor Attack ), during November 22, 1941 in Tankan or Hittokappu Bay, in Etorofu Island, South Kurils. The territory was chosen for its sparse population, lack of foreigners, and constant fog coverage. The Admiral ordered the move to Hawaii on the morning of November 26. During July 10, 1943, occurred the first bombardment against Shumushu and Paramushiro Japanese bases. From Alexai airfield 8 B-25 Mitchell from 77th Bomb. Sqdn. took off led by Capt. James L. Hudelson . This mission struck Paramushiro bases principally. Another mission, was flown during September 11, 1943, when Eleventh Air Force dispatched eight B-24 Liberators and 12 B-25s . But now the Japanese were alert and reinforced their defenses. 74 crew members in three B-24s and seven B-25 failed to return.

Twenty two men were killed in action, one taken prisoner and 51 interned in Kamchatka , Russia. 11th Air Force implement other bombing mission against northern Kurils in February 5, 1944, when envoyed six B-24 from 404th Bomber Sqdn. and 16 P-38 from 54th Fighter Sqdn. Japanese report why in Matsuwa , military installations were subject of American air strikes between 1943–44. The Americans' " Operation Wedlock ", diverted Japanese attention north and misled them about U.S. strategy in the Pacific. The plan included air strikes by USAAF and US Navy Bombers and U.S. Navy shore bombardment and submarine operations. Japanese increased their garrison in north Kurils from 8,000 in 1943 to 41,000 in 1944 and maintained more than 400 aircraft in Kurils and Hokkaidō area in anticipation that the Americans might invade from Alaska .

Americans planners had briefly contemplated an invasion of northern Japan from Aleutians during fall of 1943, but rejected that idea as too risky and impractical. They considered the use of Boeing B-29 Superfortresses, on Amchitka and Shemya Bases, but rejected that idea too. U.S. military maintained interest in these plans when they ordered the expansion of bases in the western Aleutians, and major construction began on Shemya. Plans were put on the shelf for a possible invasion of Japan via the Northern route in 1945. In August 18–31, Russian forces invaded the North and South Kurils . Eleventh Air Force, sent between August 24 and September 4, 1945, two B-24 in reconnaissance mission over North Kuril Islands to take photos of the Russian occupation in the area. Russian fighters intercepted and forced them away, a foretaste of the Cold war that lay ahead. [ edit ] Today Today, roughly 30,000 people (ethnic Russians , Ukrainians , Belarusians , Tatars , Koreans , Nivkhs , Oroch , and Ainu ) inhabit the Kuril Islands.

About half of the population lives below the poverty line , according to the regional administration. Fishing is the primary occupation. The islands have strategic and economic value, in terms of fisheries and also mineral deposits of pyrite , sulfur , and various polymetallic ores . [ edit ] Islands While in Russian sources the islands are mentioned for the first time in 1646 , the earliest detailed information about them was provided by the explorer Vladimir Atlasov in 1697 . In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the Kuril Islands were explored by Danila Antsiferov , I.Kozyrevsky, Ivan Yevreinov , Fyodor Luzhin , Martin Shpanberg , Adam Johann von Krusenstern , Vasily Golovnin , and Henry James Snow. Atlasov Island - second northernmost island of the Kurils, viewed from space From north to south, the main islands are (alternative names given in parentheses are mainly Japanese): Kuril Archipelago | Article about Kuril Archipelago by The Free Dictionary Kuril Archipelago | Article about Kuril Archipelago by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Wikipedia .

Kuril Islands (kyo͝or`ēl, ko͝orēl`) or Kuriles (kyo͝or`ēlz, kyo͝orēlz`), Jap. Chishima-Retto, Rus. Kurilskiye Ostrova, island chain, c.6,020 sq mi (15,590 sq km), Sakhalin region, E Russia. They stretch c.775 mi (1,250 km) between S Kamchatka Peninsula and NE Hokkaido, Japan, and separate the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean. There are 30 large and numerous small islands; Iturup is the largest. Atlasova volcano (7,674 ft/2,339 m) on Atlasova Island is the highest point of the chain. The islands are mainly of volcanic origin. Active volcanoes are present and earthquakes are frequent. The low temperature, high humidity, and persistent fog make the islands unpleasant for human habitation. There are, however, communities engaged in sulfur mining, hunting, and fishing. Significant deposits of petroleum, magnesium, titanium, and rhenium have been identified.

In the 18th cent. both Russians and Japanese claimed the islands (they are still known in Japan as the Northern Territories). In 1875, Japan gave up Sakhalin Sakhalin , formerly Saghalien , island (c.29,500 sq mi/76,400 sq km), off the coast of Asian Russia, between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan; separated from the Russian mainland on the west by the Tatar Strait and from Hokkaido, the northernmost island of ..... Click the link for more information. in return for Russian withdrawal from the Kuriles, and the Japanese held the islands until the end of World War II. The Yalta Conference Yalta Conference, meeting (Feb. 4–11, 1945), at Yalta, Crimea, USSR, of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin. ..... Click the link for more information. ceded the islands to the USSR, and Soviet forces occupied the chain in Sept., 1945.

Japan has challenged the Soviet (after 1991, Russian) right to the Kuriles, and demanded the return of the four southernmost islands, which had been treated as part of Hokkaido prior to World War II. The failure to resolve the impasse has been a major stumbling block in Russo-Japanese relations since the end of the war, leading at times to tensions. Kuril Islands an archipelago separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean and extending from the Island of Hokkaido (Japan) to the Kamchatka Peninsula (USSR). The more than 30 large islands and numerous small islands and rocks, with a total area of 15,600 sq km, are part of Sakhalin Oblast of the RSFSR. The archipelago consists of two parallel chains of islands (the summits of underwater ranges), known as the Greater Kuril Chain, stretching for 1,200 km, and the Lesser Kuril Chain, rimming the western end of the Greater Kurils for 120 km and separated from them by the South Kuril strait. The islands are separated by the Kuril straits.

The deep Kruzenshtern and Boussole straits divide the Greater Chain into a northern group, comprising the islands of Shumshu, Alaid, Paramushir, Shirinki, Makanrushi, Avos’, Onekotan, Kharimkotan, Chirinkotan, Ekarma, Shiashkotan, and the Lovushki reefs; a central group, consisting of Raikoke, Matua, Rasshua, the Srednii and Ushishir island groups, Ketoi, and Simushir; and a southern group, including Brouton, Chernye Brat’ia, Urup, Iturup, and Kunashir. Every island is a volcano, a fragment of a volcano, or a chain of volcanoes either joined by foothills or separated by low-lying isthmuses. The Greater Chain is composed chiefly of volcanic and volcanic-detrital strata. The most ancient rocks, the Cretaceous formations on the Lesser Kurils, are crushed into comparatively simple folds broken by faults. The structures of contemporary volcanoes lie unconformably on these rocks.

In the Greater Chain are 160 volcanoes that have been active in the Anthropogenic period, including 104 that have been active in the Holocene. The lavas contain xenoliths of metamorphic rocks (amphibolites, pyroxene-amphibolite, crystalline shales), which apparently make up the base of the islands. Mineral resources include deposits of sulfur, hot springs, and ore manifestations of mercury, copper, tin, and gold. There are frequent, sometimes powerful, earthquakes. The terrain is mountainous, with elevations of 500–1,000 m; the maximum elevation is 2,339 m (Mt. Alaid). Only Shumshu and the flat islands of the Lesser Kuril Chain are plains. The coasts are mostly steep or terraced, with the exception of the isthmuses, where they are low and sandy. There are few sheltered inlets. The climate is moderately cool and monsoonal. The average temperature of the coldest month, February, is –6° to 7°C, although winter temperatures may fall to –25°C.

August temperatures range from 10°C in the north to 17°C in the south. Annual precipitation may total as much as 1,000 mm in the south and about 600 mm in the north. Winter snowfall accounts for 25 percent of the precipitation. The cold Kuril current cools the islands, especially the northern and central sections of the archipelago and the Pacific slopes of the southern islands, contributing to the formation of prolonged, low-lying fogs. The slopes of the southern islands facing the Sea of Okhotsk are heated by the warm Soya current, and in the summer there is less fog here. The winter monsoon and polar-front cyclones bring frequent snowstorms and gales. The greatest number of sunny days are in the fall, but especially strong typhoons, with gales and hurricane winds also occur at this time. The large islands are dissected by numerous rivers and streams, some of them mineralized. There are many lakes, including crater lakes dammed up by lavas and lagoon lakes. Some small islands have no fresh springs. Soils are chiefly soddy, meadow, and alluvial.

In the forests the soils are slightly podzolic, with a large admixture of volcanic material. There are 992 known species of flowering and vascular cryptogamic plants on the Kuril Islands, including 43 species of trees, 93 of shrubs and semishrubs, nine of lianas, five of bamboo, and 842 of herbaceous plants. Of these, 26 species are native. The flora of the northern islands and some of the central islands is similar to that of Kamchatka, consisting of alder and mountain ash woodlands, dwarf Siberian pine, and Empetrum nigrum. On Ketoi and to the south, woodlands of elfin birch and Kuril bamboo are prevalent, and at higher elevations are woodlands of dwarf Siberian pine and alder. This type of flora is also characteristic of some of the southern islands (Urup, Medvezhii Peninsula on Iturup Island). In the southwest grow sprucefir and broad-leaved forests with lianas and bamboo thickets, similar to the mixed forests on Hokkaido. Here are also sparse woodlands of Kuril larch.

Meadows and swamps predominate on the flat islands of the Lesser Chain. The fauna of the northeastern part of the island arc is similar to that of the Kamchatka Peninsula, and the fauna of the southwestern islands is much like that on Hokkaido. The islands are inhabited by bears, ermine, foxes (dark brown and red), and Siberian chipmunks. Birds are numerous, particularly sea birds, living in colonies on the reefs. The sea and rivers abound in fish, including fish of the salmon family. Marine animals such as the ringed seal and Steller’s sea lion are numerous, and occasionally fur seals and sea otters are encountered. The chief occupations of the inhabitants are fishing and, in the southwest, also logging. There is a fish-processing industry. The main cities are Kuril’sk and Severo-Kuril’sk. The first information about the Kuril Islands was provided in 1697 by the Russian explorer V. V. Atlasov. In 1745 most of the Kuril Islands appeared on the General Map of the Russian Empire in the Academy Atlas. The islands were studied in the 18th century and early 19th by D.

Ia. Antsiferov, I. P. Kozyrevskii, I. M. Evreinov, F. F. Luzhin, M. Shpanberg, I. F. Kruzenshtern, and V. M. Golovnin. By the Russo-Japanese Treaty of 1855, all the Kuril Islands north of Iturup were declared Russian possessions. By the Russo-Japanese Treaty of 1875, Russia ceded 18 of the islands to Japan, which in turn recognized Russia’s sovereignty over the Island of Sakhalin. The islands were under Japanese rule from 1875 to 1945. At the Crimean Conference during the Great Patriotic War (1941–45), the Kuril Islands were transferred to the USSR. The islands were liberated from the Japanese by the Soviet Army in 1945 during the Kuril Landing Operation. By the Peace Treaty of San Francisco (1951), Japan renounced all claims and rights to the islands.

REFERENCES Why Russia Won't Cede Southern Kuril Islands to Japan People over profits Why Russia Won't Cede Southern Kuril Islands to Japan Besides emotive issues and natural resources, the Southern Kuril Island chain holds immense strategic value and is one of Russia’s main naval gateways to the Pacific Ocean They're beautiful too This article originally appeared at Russia Beyond the Headline Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Japan for an official visit, where the countries could look at resolving a 70-year old territorial dispute. Japan and Russia are still in a technical state of war, since the countries have not yet signed a World War II peace treaty. The bone of contention between the Asia-Pacific neighbors is a chain of islands between Russia’s Sakhalin and Japan’s Hokkaido. The Southern Kuril Islands, which comprise of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai Archipelago, were first colonized by Japan in the 19th century. They came under the Soviet Union’s control at the closing stages of the Second World War, when Imperial Japan was evicted from southern Sakhalin. Japan claims sovereignty over the islands, calling them the Northern Territories.

Since the 1960s, Moscow has shown a degree of willingness to compromise with Tokyo by offering Shikotan and Habomai but Japan has been unrelenting in its demands for the return of the entire chain. An emotive issue in both countries When Japan was evicted from the Southern Kuril Islands in 1945, 17,000 Japanese citizens were deported from the chain. Many of these people are still alive and reside in Hokkaido. “It would be political suicide for any government in Tokyo to compromise on the Northern Territories,” says Shigeo Tanaka, a political analyst based in the Japanese city of Sapporo. “The association of former Northern Territory residents has great political lobbying power and sympathy.” Anytime a country talks about transferring territory, there is bound to be a section of the public that would be unhappy. In 2004, when Russia transferred Tarabarov Island and half of the Bolshoi Ussuriski Island on the Amur River to China as a final settlement of the border dispute, there were protests in many parts of the Russian Far East.

Tamara Chikova, a professor at the Sakhalin State University believes that a transfer of Shikotan and the Habomai archipelago (an offer made by different Russian governments) would trigger strong protests. “The logic of the nationalistic groups is that Russia should not return land seized from a country that allied itself with Nazi Germany,” she says. “Would Russia return Kaliningrad to the Germans,” she asks rhetorically. Emigrate While You Still Can! Learn More... Tanaka says such a proposal would also be unacceptable for Japan since it insists on the return of Kunashir and Iturup. “Japan already believes it compromised by accepting Russian sovereignty over the southern half of Sakhalin Island, which was legally a part of Japan since the 1904-5 war,” he adds. Sea_of_Okhotsk_map.png Russia’s gateway to the Pacific Ocean The islands of Kunashir and Iturup are resource-rich and are believed to have an abundance of rare earth metals. The success of oil and gas projects off nearby Sakhalin Island has also spurred energy companies to survey the waters near the Kurils for hydrocarbon deposits.

The islands, with their virgin forests, volcanoes and waterfalls, also hold immense potential for tourism. Yet, the Russian government has given a cold response to such ideas and has kept the sparsely populated islands closed to foreigners and Russians, who are not residents of Sakhalin. The reason, most analysts say, is the immense strategic value that the islands hold. Over the last few years, Russia has stepped up its military activity around the islands. On June 8, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered the speeding up of the construction of military facilities on the Southern Kurils. Russia will spend around $1.2 billion on the development of the chain, with a large part of that amount going into defense installations. Russia has already started building military garrisons on Iturup and Kunashir. Shoigu also called for the rapid development of military infrastructure in the Russian Arctic. This is part of a grander design to connect Central Russia with the Pacific Coast via a new sea route.

In an article titled ‘The Strategic Value of Territorial Islands from the Perspective of National Security,’ the Japan-based Review of Island Studies says the increased Russian military activity on the Southern Kurils is largely in anticipation of the opening of the Northern Sea Route, a shipping lane that connects the Kara Sea to the Pacific Ocean. The route runs along the Russian Arctic Coast and would provide both military and economic advantages to the country. “The route effectively makes Russia a major Asia-Pacific power,” says Tanaka. “At a time when we are seeing a new kind of Cold War, Russia and China the capability of blockading Japan, in case there is some sort of American misadventure instigated in the region.” Tanaka insists that this is only a deterrent against the United States, which still maintains bases across the region, including in Okinawa. The islands of Kunashir and Iturup are an integral part of Russia’s Asia-Pacific defense and economic strategy. Under these circumstances, the only way a World War II peace treaty can be established between Russia and Japan is through a compromise on Tokyo’s part.

NPO Theme Page: Subregeions: Kamchatka and Kurile Islands Kamchatka Peninsula (KM/KL) Pronunciation: (kamchatï¿½ke) Kamchatka Peninsula separates the Sea of Okhotsk from the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean. To the south lies the Kuril Strait, which separates the peninsula from the Kuril Islands. Extending from lat. 51ï¿½N to lat. 61ï¿½N, it is 750 mi (1,207 km) long and terminates in the south in Cape Lopatka, beyond which lie the Kuril Islands. Petropavlovsk is the chief city. There are many rivers and lakes, and the eastern shore is deeply indented by gulfs and bays. The peninsula's central valley, drained by the Kamchatka River, is enclosed by two parallel volcanic ranges that extend north-south; there are about 120 volcanoes, 20 of which are active. The highest point is Klyuchevskaya Sopka (15,600 ft/4,755 m), itself an active volcano.

Kamchatka is covered with mountain vegetation, except in the central valley and on the west coast, which has peat marshes and tundralike moss. The climate is cold and humid. There are numerous forests, mineral springs, and geysers. Kuril Islands (KM/KL) Pronunciation:(kyoorï¿½el, koorelï¿½) or Kuriles Pronounced Chishima-Retto in Japanese and Kurilskiye Ostrova in Russian. Kuril Islands is an archipelago located between the Kamchatka Peninsula and Japan separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean . The archipelago is comprised of 30 large and many small islands which are still active causing frequent earthquakes. The low temperature, high humidity, and persistent fog make the islands unpleasant for human habitation. There are, however, communities engaged in sulfur mining, hunting, and fishing. Note! When you click on some of the links on this page you will be leaving the NPO web site. You may wish to review the privacy notice on those sites since their information collection practices may differ from ours.

[Last updated: 2007-07-03] Kuril Islands | Article about Kuril Islands by The Free Dictionary Kuril Islands | Article about Kuril Islands by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Wikipedia . Related to Kuril Islands: Sakhalin Kuril Islands (kyo͝or`ēl, ko͝orēl`) or Kuriles (kyo͝or`ēlz, kyo͝orēlz`), Jap. Chishima-Retto, Rus. Kurilskiye Ostrova, island chain, c.6,020 sq mi (15,590 sq km), Sakhalin region, E Russia. They stretch c.775 mi (1,250 km) between S Kamchatka Peninsula and NE Hokkaido, Japan, and separate the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean. There are 30 large and numerous small islands; Iturup is the largest. Atlasova volcano (7,674 ft/2,339 m) on Atlasova Island is the highest point of the chain. The islands are mainly of volcanic origin.

Active volcanoes are present and earthquakes are frequent. The low temperature, high humidity, and persistent fog make the islands unpleasant for human habitation. There are, however, communities engaged in sulfur mining, hunting, and fishing. Significant deposits of petroleum, magnesium, titanium, and rhenium have been identified. In the 18th cent. both Russians and Japanese claimed the islands (they are still known in Japan as the Northern Territories). In 1875, Japan gave up Sakhalin Sakhalin , formerly Saghalien , island (c.29,500 sq mi/76,400 sq km), off the coast of Asian Russia, between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan; separated from the Russian mainland on the west by the Tatar Strait and from Hokkaido, the northernmost island of ..... Click the link for more information. in return for Russian withdrawal from the Kuriles, and the Japanese held the islands until the end of World War II. The Yalta Conference Yalta Conference, meeting (Feb. 4–11, 1945), at Yalta, Crimea, USSR, of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, U.S.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin. ..... Click the link for more information. ceded the islands to the USSR, and Soviet forces occupied the chain in Sept., 1945. Japan has challenged the Soviet (after 1991, Russian) right to the Kuriles, and demanded the return of the four southernmost islands, which had been treated as part of Hokkaido prior to World War II. The failure to resolve the impasse has been a major stumbling block in Russo-Japanese relations since the end of the war, leading at times to tensions. Kuril Islands an archipelago separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean and extending from the Island of Hokkaido (Japan) to the Kamchatka Peninsula (USSR). The more than 30 large islands and numerous small islands and rocks, with a total area of 15,600 sq km, are part of Sakhalin Oblast of the RSFSR.

The archipelago consists of two parallel chains of islands (the summits of underwater ranges), known as the Greater Kuril Chain, stretching for 1,200 km, and the Lesser Kuril Chain, rimming the western end of the Greater Kurils for 120 km and separated from them by the South Kuril strait. The islands are separated by the Kuril straits. The deep Kruzenshtern and Boussole straits divide the Greater Chain into a northern group, comprising the islands of Shumshu, Alaid, Paramushir, Shirinki, Makanrushi, Avos’, Onekotan, Kharimkotan, Chirinkotan, Ekarma, Shiashkotan, and the Lovushki reefs; a central group, consisting of Raikoke, Matua, Rasshua, the Srednii and Ushishir island groups, Ketoi, and Simushir; and a southern group, including Brouton, Chernye Brat’ia, Urup, Iturup, and Kunashir.

Every island is a volcano, a fragment of a volcano, or a chain of volcanoes either joined by foothills or separated by low-lying isthmuses. The Greater Chain is composed chiefly of volcanic and volcanic-detrital strata. The most ancient rocks, the Cretaceous formations on the Lesser Kurils, are crushed into comparatively simple folds broken by faults. The structures of contemporary volcanoes lie unconformably on these rocks. In the Greater Chain are 160 volcanoes that have been active in the Anthropogenic period, including 104 that have been active in the Holocene. The lavas contain xenoliths of metamorphic rocks (amphibolites, pyroxene-amphibolite, crystalline shales), which apparently make up the base of the islands. Mineral resources include deposits of sulfur, hot springs, and ore manifestations of mercury, copper, tin, and gold. There are frequent, sometimes powerful, earthquakes. The terrain is mountainous, with elevations of 500–1,000 m; the maximum elevation is 2,339 m (Mt. Alaid). Only Shumshu and the flat islands of the Lesser Kuril Chain are plains.

The coasts are mostly steep or terraced, with the exception of the isthmuses, where they are low and sandy. There are few sheltered inlets. The climate is moderately cool and monsoonal. The average temperature of the coldest month, February, is –6° to 7°C, although winter temperatures may fall to –25°C. August temperatures range from 10°C in the north to 17°C in the south. Annual precipitation may total as much as 1,000 mm in the south and about 600 mm in the north. Winter snowfall accounts for 25 percent of the precipitation. The cold Kuril current cools the islands, especially the northern and central sections of the archipelago and the Pacific slopes of the southern islands, contributing to the formation of prolonged, low-lying fogs. The slopes of the southern islands facing the Sea of Okhotsk are heated by the warm Soya current, and in the summer there is less fog here. The winter monsoon and polar-front cyclones bring frequent snowstorms and gales.

The greatest number of sunny days are in the fall, but especially strong typhoons, with gales and hurricane winds also occur at this time. The large islands are dissected by numerous rivers and streams, some of them mineralized. There are many lakes, including crater lakes dammed up by lavas and lagoon lakes. Some small islands have no fresh springs. Soils are chiefly soddy, meadow, and alluvial. In the forests the soils are slightly podzolic, with a large admixture of volcanic material. There are 992 known species of flowering and vascular cryptogamic plants on the Kuril Islands, including 43 species of trees, 93 of shrubs and semishrubs, nine of lianas, five of bamboo, and 842 of herbaceous plants. Of these, 26 species are native. The flora of the northern islands and some of the central islands is similar to that of Kamchatka, consisting of alder and mountain ash woodlands, dwarf Siberian pine, and Empetrum nigrum.

On Ketoi and to the south, woodlands of elfin birch and Kuril bamboo are prevalent, and at higher elevations are woodlands of dwarf Siberian pine and alder. This type of flora is also characteristic of some of the southern islands (Urup, Medvezhii Peninsula on Iturup Island). In the southwest grow sprucefir and broad-leaved forests with lianas and bamboo thickets, similar to the mixed forests on Hokkaido. Here are also sparse woodlands of Kuril larch. Meadows and swamps predominate on the flat islands of the Lesser Chain. The fauna of the northeastern part of the island arc is similar to that of the Kamchatka Peninsula, and the fauna of the southwestern islands is much like that on Hokkaido. The islands are inhabited by bears, ermine, foxes (dark brown and red), and Siberian chipmunks. Birds are numerous, particularly sea birds, living in colonies on the reefs. The sea and rivers abound in fish, including fish of the salmon family. Marine animals such as the ringed seal and Steller’s sea lion are numerous, and occasionally fur seals and sea otters are encountered.

The chief occupations of the inhabitants are fishing and, in the southwest, also logging. There is a fish-processing industry. The main cities are Kuril’sk and Severo-Kuril’sk. The first information about the Kuril Islands was provided in 1697 by the Russian explorer V. V. Atlasov. In 1745 most of the Kuril Islands appeared on the General Map of the Russian Empire in the Academy Atlas. The islands were studied in the 18th century and early 19th by D. Ia. Antsiferov, I. P. Kozyrevskii, I. M. Evreinov, F. F. Luzhin, M. Shpanberg, I. F. Kruzenshtern, and V. M. Golovnin. By the Russo-Japanese Treaty of 1855, all the Kuril Islands north of Iturup were declared Russian possessions. By the Russo-Japanese Treaty of 1875, Russia ceded 18 of the islands to Japan, which in turn recognized Russia’s sovereignty over the Island of Sakhalin.

The islands were under Japanese rule from 1875 to 1945. At the Crimean Conference during the Great Patriotic War (1941–45), the Kuril Islands were transferred to the USSR. The islands were liberated from the Japanese by the Soviet Army in 1945 during the Kuril Landing Operation. By the Peace Treaty of San Francisco (1951), Japan renounced all claims and rights to the islands. REFERENCES Kuril Islands Of The Northwest Pacific - WorldAtlas.com Kuril Islands Of The Northwest Pacific This 800+ mile-long chain of volcanic islands has at times been highly disputed between Russia and Japan. Busy fishing harbors, such as this one near Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Russia, serve as an economic lifeblood for the Kuril Islands' economy. 5. Location, Terrain, and Climate Kuril Islands lie in the Sakhalin Oblast region of Russia, which is a volcanic archipelago. This Island stretches from Hokkaido, Japan to Kamchatka in Russia, and covers a distance of 1,300 kilometers.

It separates the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean , and has a chain of 56 islands and many minor rocks. It lies along the ring of tectonic instability that encircles the Pacific Ocean, and is known as the Ring of Fire . Climatic conditions of the Kuril Islands are severe, with cold, stormy, and long winters, foggy summers, and annual precipitation in the area of 760 to 1,020 millimeters which mostly falls in the form of snow. The climate ranges from the Temperate to the Sub-Arctic types, and there are volcanoes, namely Tyatya Volcano and Alaid Volcano, giving the region some of its highest elevations. 4. Historical Role The Ainu people originally inhabited the Kuril Islands and with the coming of 17th and 18th Centuries, the Japanese and Russians settled in the area. The Treaty of Shimoda concluded between Japan and Russia, and it gave the southernmost islands to Japan, and the rest of the chain to Russia. There were many instances where Russia and Japan claimed their right on the Island.

With the Treaty of Saint Petersburg in 1875, Japan got his rights on Sakhalin and Russia all over the Kuril Islands, which was south of Kamchatka. After the Russian-Japanese war in the years 1904 and 1905, the Japanese got fishing rights in the Russian waters with the Fisheries Agreement until the year 1945. The current situation in the year 2013 stated the population of the Island to be approximately 19,000 people, which mainly includes the Russians, Tatars , the Oroch, Ainus , and Ukrainians . The year 2014 reported that out of 56 islands, only eight inhabited islands and from which Iturup Island, frequented by a footfall comprised 60% by Ukrainians. 3. Modern Significance The occupation of the people living in Kuril Islands is largely derived from fishing, and there are mineral deposits found in the area including sulfur, pyrite, and poly-metallic ores. The exploration of the oil from the area will boost the economy, and Russia is working on the rising of the economic infrastructure in the area.

Workers in the Kitovy Bay built the breakwater, as barges are the important mode of the transport in this area. A newly constructed road also passes from there, which is now going to be a site for the airport to be named Yuzhno-Kurilsk-Mendeleyevo in the Kuril Islands. For solving the electricity issue, at Mount Baransky, the government is upgrading the geothermal power plant. 2. Habitat and Biodiversity The Kuril Islands area supports all manner of marine life, and the Island is a crucial habitat for the sea urchins, squid, and mollusks found in the Pacific waters. The fishes like Pacific cod, flatfish, Walleye Pollock, and Japanese Sardines, aquatic mammals such as sea otters , and seabirds like gulls, auklets, and kittiwakes, are often found in and around the islands. 1. Environmental Threats and Territorial Disputes Both the Japanese and Russian sides are increasingly deviating from their past acceptance of peace treaties, especially since the installation of missiles by Russia on the Kuril Islands. Before further treaties are negotiated, each wants territorial disputes regarding the division of the islands to be resolved first.

The threats coming from the eruption of volcanoes and the event of earthquakes duly affect both the natural environment and human Kuril Islanders as well. This page was last modified on June 27, 2016. On WorldAtlas.com Northern Territories / Kuril Islands Japan's Northern Territories Northern Territories / Kuril Islands Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed the prospects of the joint economic activities on South Kuril Islands, among other issues, 15 December 2016. The Russian-Japanese relations are tainted by the territorial dispute between the two countries. Japan lays claims to the islands of Kunashir, Shikotan, Habomai and Iturup, which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan the Northern Territories. The territorial dispute has led to the situation that Moscow and Tokyo have never signed a permanent peace treaty after World War II. The announcement of a ï¿½special economic regimeï¿½ on the Southern Kurils and the establishment of a joint investment fund were the two main achievements of the Russia-Japan summit that was held on Dec. 15-16. Putin was welcomed in a G7 capital for the first time since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis.

A total of 68 agreements worth 300 billion yen (about $2.54 billion) were signed one the sidelines of the summit. The agreements included the establishment of joint investment platforms, Mitsuiï¿½s acquisition of a 10 percent stake in Russiaï¿½s R-Pharm, and a 200-million euro loan from Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to the Yamal LNG project. When meeting with residents of South Kuril Islands Japan claims as its own, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to resolve the territorial dispute with Russia ï¿½already during the lifetime of this generation.ï¿½ Putin described the lack of a peace treaty with Japan as an anachronism that must be consigned to history. He added that even though Russia does not think that it has any territorial problems with Japan, he is still ready to discuss this.

According to a recent poll by Iomiuri newspaper, 51 percent of respondents who lived on Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan and Habomai islands before the end of WWII, said that Tokyo should reconsider its demand for the immediate return of what it calls ï¿½Northern territories.ï¿½ A total of 82.3 percent preferred a step-by-step approach with Habomai and Shikotan to be handed over now and the future of Iturup and Shikotan to be decided at the negotiating table. Russia's defense minister said 22 October 2015 that Moscow plans to build a military base on the Kuril Islands, along with four Arctic bases that should be completed by 2018. Sergei Shoigu told Russian news agencies Thursday the military is planning to put a large modern base on the islands with equipment necessary for border protection. Shoigu said Russia had nearly completed several new bases with the largest on Kotelny Island in the Novosibirsk Archipelago. The Kuril islands lie just north of Japan's main northern island, Hokkaido.

The 1,300-kilometer-long archipelago has been under Moscow's control since Soviet troops seized it in the closing days of World War Two. Japan claims the four southernmost islands as its own. The matter has remained unresolved since 1945, so the two countries have yet to sign a peace treaty to formally end the war, which prevents closer political and economic ties between the neighbors. In 2012, two-thirds of a century after the end of World War II, a state of war between Japan and Russia existed technically because the government in Moscow had refused in the intervening years to sign the 1951 peace treaty. The main stumbling block in all Japan's subsequent efforts to establish bilateral relations on what it called "a truly stable basis" was the territorial dispute over the Northern Territories. The Kremlin considers the Northern Territories to be the price Japan paid for what the Russians believe was Tokyo's treachery in backing Hitler - and partial compensation for the millions of lives Moscow lost to Berlin during the war. Japan lacks a plan to negotiate the return of the Northern Territories.

On 08 March 2008, Russian Embassy First Secretary Yuri Yuriev rejected, using the strongest language to date, any possibility of change in Moscow's views on the Northern Territories. According to Yuriev, the situation regarding the Northern Territories is "the result of Japan's fiasco during World War II," and represents "a payment for its aggressive military policy and the alliance with Hitler's Germany." He continued that "no Russian leader who wants to continue in his job until the new election would ever think about returning the islands to Japan." The status quo would continue until Japan altered its "principled position" demanding the return of the four islands. Most Japanese academic debate about the Northern Territories is mired in tired, decades-old debates about the nuance that exists between the 1956 and 1993 declarations "angels on the head of a pin"-type arguments which have no practical application to finding a solution to the Northern Territories problem today. Japan has emphasized to the Russians that they would not be subjected to dispossession or any type of mistreatment if the islands were to revert to Japanese control. Japan's ultimate goal is to have both Japanese and Russian residents living together under Japanese authority.

With the average age of the 8,076 remaining Japanese residents of the islands nearing 73 [as of 2007], many people fear that the momentum behind the campaign for the reversion of the Northern Territories will decline. The territorial dispute prohibited the two countries from signing a formal peace treaty. On 01 November 2010 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited the island chain claimed by Moscow and Tokyo, sparking sharp criticism from Japan. He was the first Russian president to visit one of the disputed Kurile Islands. Medvedev said he visited the islands because he was interested in seeing how residents on the southernmost isle of Kunashir live. He said he wanted to make sure that the leading social standards, on the islands, coincide with Russian standards throughout the country and that it is important that there are specialists and doctors in the area. Angry over Russian President Dmitri Medvedev's visit to a disputed island chain, Japan temporarily called its ambassador back from Russia. The possibility of the return of the two islands designated in the 1956 declaration to Japan has been repeatedly floated and then shelved by Putin's administration.

The four islands present economic interest for both Russia and Japan, as a great part of their value lies not in the land, but in the fish-rich waters. The return of the islands is seen as the matter of national pride in both countries. Kuril - Description The Kurilï¿½skiye Ostrova (Kurile Islands) are a chain of volcanic islands that connect the northern Japanese islands to the Russian Sredinnyy Khrebet Mountains on the Kamchatskaya Oblast (Kamchatka Peninsula). Kamchatka Peninsula separates the Sea of Okhotsk from the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean. To the south lies the Kurile Strait, which separates the peninsula from the Kurile Islands. Extending from lat. 51ï¿½N to lat. 61ï¿½N, it is 750 mi (1,207 km) long and terminates in the south in Cape Lopatka, beyond which lie the Kurile Islands.

Extending between northeastern Japan and the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia, the Kurils islands are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that runs from New Zealand, around Australia and through Indonesia, up the eastern coast of Asia, along the Aleutian Islands, and down the western coast of the Americas. Island arcs form along an active boundary between two tectonic plates, where one plate is being driven beneath the other (subduction). Magma generated by the subduction process feeds volcanoesï¿½which eventually form volcanic islands over the subduction boundary. The low temperature, high humidity, and persistent fog make the islands unpleasant for human habitation. There are, however, communities engaged in sulfur mining, hunting, and fishing. Besides being a highly active geothermal area, this region is well-known for its abundant and diverse wildlife. These islands are home to dense populations of sea birds, sea otter, Orcas, minke whales, sea lions, seals, fish, crabs, and many other types of marine life.

The Kurile chain of islands extends in almost a straight line in a north-east direction, from the east coast of Yezo to the southen extremity of Kamchatka, a distance of about 630 miles. This line may be regarded as a line of weakness in th Earth's crust, out of which, at fairly equally spaced intervals volcanic materials have been ejected to form islands. Parallel with the main fissure, on its western side, is a second line of vents at wider intervals, and apparently of more recent origin This line runs through Alaid, Shirinki, Makanrushir, Ekarmi Chirinkotan, Raikoke, and Makanruru to the volcanoes on th peninsulas standing out from the north-west coast of Yetoruf (which, from appearances, were once separated from that island} and across to the Sirotoko peninsula of volcanoes forming the north-east point of Yezo. Kurile Islands is an archipelago located between the Kamchatka Peninsula and Japan separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. The archipelago is comprised of 30 large and many small islands which are still active causing frequent earthquakes.

Kuril - History Strains in the Tokyo-Moscow relationship have deep historical roots, going back to the competition of the Japanese and Russian empires for dominance in Northeast Asia. This longstanding antipathy stems from the Russo-Japanese rivalry in Korea, Manchuria, and China proper in the late nineteenth century, from the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5; and from the Soviet declaration of war on Japan in the last days of World War II, in violation of the Japanese-Soviet Neutrality Pact of 1941. The Kurile Islands were discovered by De Vrees, a Dutch navigator, in 1634. They are also said to have been discovered in 1654 by a merchant named Taras Stadukin, who sailed from the Kolyma River. He passed through Bering Strait, and followed the coast of Kamchatka, doubling the southernmost cape, and making the discovery of the Kurils. The Russian-Japanese competition for the islands began at least as early as in the eighteenth century.

In 1711 the Russians first invaded the islands, and in 1736 all these to the north of Yetorup became subject to Russia. In 1738 Spanberg sailed with three small vessels to examine the Kurils, and wintered in Kamchatka. In 1766-7 a voyage was made amongst them to collect a fur-tax, and in 1795 the Russian-American Company established a factory on Urup. Towards the end of the eighteenth century the Japanese established themselves on Yetorup. By 1804, Russia and Japan essentially shared control of the islands, with Japanese influence stronger in the North and Russian in the South Kuril Islands. Formally, though, Russia continued to own the entire archipelago. In 1806-7 the Russians made descents on that island. In November, 1830, the Russian-American Company took formal possession of the Kurils.

On February 7 (January 26, Julian calendar), 1855, Russia and Japan signed the first bilateral commerce and border treaty that proclaimed relations of peace and friendship between the two countries, opened up three Japanese ports to Russian vessels and established a border in the vicinity of the South Kuril archipelago, between the islands of Urup and Iturup. The Treaty of Shimoda laid an official basis for Russo-Japanese trade. This treaty was part of the general treaty agreement following Admiral Perry's opening of Japan. It diverted a conflict between the two countries by establishing an agreed upon border line, just south of the island of Irup, with each country receiving ownership of a specific portion of the Kurils. This agreement specified that Japan would have sovereignty over the four southernmost islands - Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and the Habomai (a cluster of small islands that the Russians identify as the Little Kurile Chain). The Treaty of St. Petersburg, signed in 1875, amended the Shimoda Treaty in several ways. The Russians had decided that their primary interests lay in Sakhalin Island. It is a large island with many resources and is closer to the Russian mainland.

The Treaty of St. Petersburg granted all the Kurile Islands to the Japanese and Russia would have the sole right of ownership of Sakhalin Island. All the Kurils north of Yetorup were handed over to Japan by Russia, in exchange for the southern part of Sakhalin. The 1875 treaty remained in force until 1905 when Russia and Japan signed the Portsmouth peace treaty. Japan emerged victorious from the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, with Russia ceding the entire Kuril archipelago and some territory in the south of Sakhalin island. In 1884 the Japanese government removed the few remaining Kurilsky Ainu to the island of Shikotan, thus leaving the islands from Urup to Shumshir without a single inhabitant. In February 1945 at the Yalta Conference the USSR was promised possession of the Kurile Island chain in exchange for entering into the Pacific War against Japan and Russia's claims should be 'unquestionably fulfilled' after Japan's defeat.

The Potsdam Declarations of August 1945, which Japan accepted on 14 August 1945, limited Japan territorial sovereignty to the four main islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku and "such minor islands as we determine." On 8 August the Soviet Union entered the war in the Pacific. This was after the America bombing of Hiroshima and six days before the surrender of Japan. Russians began occupying the Kurils on 18 August. Soviet occupation included the four islands nearest Hokkaido which had never been considered part of Russian territory in any of the earlier treaties signed by the two countries. But World War II afforded the opportunity for the Soviet Union to gain by a shrewd combination of diplomacy and force what Japan would never have yielded in times of peace during the last two centuries. On 25 February 1947 the Kurils were formally integrated as a part of the USSR. During this year approximately 17,000 Japanese who lived on the islands were deported - "driven forcibly from the Kurils.

'' Occupation of the islands and the deportation of the Japanese were all legal acts carried out as part of the reward for victory in war. In 1949, the Japanese released their first official government position paper on the Islands. It said that the Yalta Agreement had no basis in international law and claimed the four southern Islands as the territory of Japan. During the San Francisco Peace Conference of 1951 Japan agreed to renounce all rights and claims to southern Sakhalin and the Kurile Islands. The USSR was not a signatory of the Peace Treaty signed in San Francisco and this treaty clearly envisages that it does not grant a nonsignatory country any rights. Japan later claimed that the San Francisco Peace Treaty did not include the four southern islands since, in their view, these four islands had never been part of the Kurile chain. The islands are known as Southern Kuriles in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan.

There has long been strong opposition in Japan to Moscow's refusal to accede to Japan's claims to the Northern Territories, known to the Japanese as Etorofu and Kunashiri, at the southern end of the Kuril Island chain, and the smaller island of Shikotan and the Habomai Islands, northeast of Hokkaido, which were seized by the Soviets in the last days of World War II. The stationing of Soviet military forces on the islands gave tangible proof of the Soviet threat, and provocative maneuvers by Soviet air and naval forces in Japanese- claimed territory served to reinforce Japanese official policy of close identification with a firm United States-backed posture against Soviet power. In 1979 the Japanese government specifically protested a build up in Soviet forces in Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan. During the first half of the 1950s, other unsettled problems included Japanese fishing rights in the Sea of Okhotsk and off the coast of the Soviet maritime provinces and repatriation of Japanese prisoners of war, who were still being held in the Soviet Union. Negotiation of these issues broke down early in 1956 because of tension over territorial claims.

Negotiations soon resumed, however, and the two countries issued a joint declaration in October 1956 providing for the restoration of diplomatic relations. The two parties also agreed to continue negotiations for a peace treaty, including territorial issues. The Soviet Union sought to induce Japan to abandon its territorial claims by alternating threats and persuasion. As early as 1956, it hinted at the possibility of considering the return of the Habomai Islands and Shikotan if Japan abandoned its alliance with the United States. In 1960 the Soviet government warned Japan against signing the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security with the United States, and after the treaty was signed, declared that it would not hand over the Habomai Islands and Shikotan under any circumstances unless Japan abrogated the treaty forthwith. In 1964 the Soviet Union offered to return these islands unconditionally if the United States ended its military presence on Okinawa and the main islands of Japan. Despite divergence on the territorial question, on which neither side was prepared to give ground, Japan's relations with the Soviet Union improved appreciably after the mid-1960s.

Japanese-Soviet political relations during the 1970s were characterized by the frequent exchange of high-level visits to explore the possibility of improving bilateral relations and by repeated discussions of a peace treaty, which were abortive because neither side was prepared to yield on the territorial issue. Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Gromyko of the Soviet Union visited Tokyo in January 1976 to resume talks on the peace treaty. When the Japanese again refused to budge on the territorial question, Gromyko, according to the Japanese, offered to return two of the Soviet-held island areas--the Habomai Islands and Shikotan--if Japan would sign a treaty of goodwill and cooperation. The advent of the Mikhail Gorbachev regime in Moscow in 1985 saw a replacement of hard-line Soviet government diplomats who were expert in Asian affairs with more flexible spokespersons calling for greater contact with Japan. Gorbachev took the lead in promising new initiatives in Asia, but the substance of Soviet policy changed more slowly. In particular, throughout the rest of the 1980s, Soviet officials still seemed uncompromising regarding the Northern Territories.

The Japanese government stated that it would not conduct normal relations with the Soviet Union until Moscow returned the Northern Territories. The government and Japanese business leaders stated further that Japanese trade with and investment in the Soviet Union would not grow appreciably until the Northern Territories issue had been resolved. By 1990 the Soviet government had altered its tactics. The Soviet Union now acknowledged that the territorial issue was a problem and talked about it with Japanese officials at the highest levels and in working-level meetings. Soviet officials reportedly floated a proposal to lease the Northern Territories and part of Sakhalin--once a colonial holding of Japan's--to Japan. Gorbachev and others also referred to a 1956 Soviet offer to return one of the three main islands (Shikotan, the smallest of the three) and the Habomai Islands, and there were indications that Moscow might be prepared to revive the offer. The Soviet Union emphasized that it would not return all the islands because of Soviet public opposition and the possible reawakening of other countries' territorial claims against the Soviet Union.

The Soviet military reportedly opposed a return because the Kuril Islands provided a protective barrier to the Sea of Okhotsk, where the Soviet navy deployed submarines carrying long-range ballistic missiles. The government of Boris Yeltsin took power in Russia in late 1991 when the Soviet Union was dissolved. Once again, Moscow took a stand in firm opposition to returning the disputed territories to Japan. Although Japan joined with the Group of Seven industrialized nations in providing some technical and financial assistance to Russia, relations between Japan and Russia remained cool. In September 1992, Russian president Boris Yeltsin postponed a scheduled visit to Japan. The visit finally took place in October 1993. During the visit, although various substantive issues, including the Northern Territories and the signing of a peace treaty, were discussed, no significant improvement was seen in Japan-Russia relations. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Japan initiated a humanitarian assistance program to provide basic needs to the islands' residents. After a devastating earthquake subsequently rocked the islands and eastern Hokkaido, Japan responded by increasing humanitarian assistance through the construction of new schools and a new electric generation plant on the affected islands.

In 1977 Japan became bound by a 200-mile EEZ that limits its access to the plentiful crab, salmon and seaweed (konbu) found in the Northern Territories' waters. Each year Japan pays Russia 122 million yen (USD 1.1 million) for the rights to harvest seaweed from Kaigara Island in the Habomai Group of islets. The season runs from June 1 until the end of September, with June and July comprising the peak harvest period. A poll conducted by the Hokkaido Shimbun in November 2005 that interviewed residents from three of the islands (the fourth is uninhabited) regarding the possible return of the islands to Japanese authority. Eighty percent of Etorofu residents and 63 percent of Kunashiri residents were opposed, but more than 50 percent of Shikotan residents were in favor. Russia offered to return Shikotan and the uninhabited islet group of Habomai in the 1956 Japan-U.S.S.R. Joint Declaration and has referred to this document in subsequent negotiations.

Shikotan has more exposure to Japanese former islanders since it was first to participate in the visa-free exchanges. At PM Shinzo Abe's 07 June 2007 meeting with Russian President Putin on the margins of the G-8 Summit, the two leaders agreed that they would not shelve the Northern Territories issue. Putin said he was ready to talk, wanted to remove any obstacles to settlement, and hoped to avoid stagnation in the discussions. Meeting in Sydney on 07 September 2007, former Prime Minister Abe and President Putin discussed four main topics, according to Otsuki and former Russia Division Principal Deputy Director Kazuhiko Nakamura: 1) Northern Territories, 2) Russian Far East and Eastern Siberia Cooperation, 3) climate change, and 4) youth exchanges. On the Northern Territories, the two leaders stressed the importance of making progress on negotiating a settlement. Abe and Putin instructed their staffs to take steps to resolve the status of the four islands, but presented no new ideas for resolving the land dispute and provided no specific guidance about how to proceed.

Japan PM Aso expressed concern with the pace of working-level discussions on the Northern Territories during talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on the margins of the 22-23 November 2008 APEC Summit in Lima, Peru. Medvedev said a solution would require strong political will by leaders on both sides, and he promised not to delay resolution until the "next generation." MOFA officials feel confident about Medvedev's commitment to resolve the issue, but claim lower-level officials are not adequately informing the President. Japan rivals China as the leading Asian investor in Russia. The 18 February 2009 start of liquified natural gas shipments between Japan and Russia - energy supplies which Japan desperately needed much more than it needed an immediate resolution of the Northern Territories issue - basically ensured that neither side will risk disrupting the Japan-Russia relationship. In 2009 Dmitry Medvedev became the first Russian President to visit the island group, home to 19,000 Russians who live largely off fishing. In February 2010, his defense minister visited the largest island. Japanï¿½s prime minister Naoto Kan called the Russian visits an unforgivable outrage.

Japanese rightists protested in Tokyo, trampling a Russian flag and mailing a bullet to the Russian Embassy. On 10 February 2010 apan and Russiaï¿½s top diplomats traded undiplomatic language Friday over a 65-year-old standoff over disputed Islands. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Japanï¿½s position radical, adding that dialogue has "no chance." Seated next to the Russian diplomat at a press conference in Moscow Friday, Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara responded icily: "The Northern Territories are age-old Japanese territory." Documents which have been agreed to so far include the 1956 Joint Declaration, 1993 Tokyo Declaration, 2001 Irkutsk Statement, 2003 Action Plan. The March 2001 Irkutsk Statement and the January 2003 Japan-Russia Action Plan both called for the two countries to promote economic exchanges while strengthening efforts to resolve the territorial issue. Domestic concerns in Tokyo and Moscow will block any new initiative on the Northern Territories issue.

Russia launched an investment program for the Kuril Islands, including its military in 2011, amid growing calls in Japan to take the disputed territory back. Over the next three years the Defense Ministry sent some 350 modern vehicles to the islands and ramped up combat readiness of the stationed troops. The Russian Defense Ministry will modernize military settlements on the Kuril Islands and supply some 120 new combat vehicles by the end of 2014r. Russiaï¿½s sovereignty over four of the islands is disputed by Tokyo. ï¿½Over the period to 2016 all major objects ï¿½ more than 150 of them ï¿½ on the islands of Iturup and Kunashir will be completed. Those will be modern fully autonomous military settlements with a developed social infrastructure,ï¿½ Col. Gen. Sergey Surovikin, commander of the Russian eastern military district, said 18 April 2014. The military in the Kuril Islands will also receive 120 additional vehicles, including armored ones, by the end of the year, the general added.

There are some 20,000 people living there at the moment, many of them Russian military and their families, who may see their living conditions improved in coming years. NEWSLETTER

Question: The Kuril island archipelago lies between the Pacific Ocean and which other sea?
Answer: The Sea of Okhotsk