In the city of Yuzhno-Kurilsk on the island of Kunashir on Tuesday, June 27, a passenger mission from Japan arrived on the passenger ship "Etopirik". This was announced today by the press service of the Sakhalin Oblast Government.

In the group of guests - 69 people: representatives of 32 private companies, state and municipal structures: employees of the apparatus of the Japanese government and the Hokkaido governorship, the ministries of foreign affairs, economy, trade and industry, labor and welfare, health, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, infrastructure , Transport and tourism, as well as a number of institutions, associations and public organizations. At the head of the mission is a special adviser to the Prime Minister of Japan Eiichi Hasegawa.

The Japanese were greeted by the Governor of the Sakhalin Oblast Oleg Kozhemyako, members of the regional government, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and Russian businessmen.

Photo: Sakhalin Oblast Government website "The islands first take such a large and representative business mission from Japan. This is a big step in the development of bilateral relations, clarification of important parameters for further joint activities in the Southern Kuriles, "said the head of the region.

Businessmen and government officials who have come from the Land of the Rising Sun plan to "find out opportunities for joint economic activities of Russia and Japan in the Southern Kuriles," the press service said..

Photo: Sakhalin regional government website The business mission wants to visit fisheries, tourism and medical facilities, retail and services, and the sea and air harbors of the islands, Hasegawa said at a meeting with the leadership of the regional and local municipal government in Yuzhno-Kurilsk.

In addition to the business program, a cultural program. Yesterday in South Kurilsk they were invited to a concert in their honor, prepared by local creative groups.

Photo: the site of the government of the Sakhalin region Earlier the heads of two countries - Vladimir Putin and Shinzo Abe agreed on this. To establish direct contacts in May, a public-private expert group from Japan visited Sakhalin. Projects that could be jointly implemented in the Kuril Islands-related to the fields of agriculture and fisheries, tourism, energy, medicine and the processing of domestic wastes were discussed.

Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Japan Eiichi Hasegawa said that for his country "it is important to find as many points of contact with the Russian side in the Kuriles as possible". And he called the main task "a meaningful inspection of objects," which "will make it possible to identify the most promising areas for interaction, and as a result, more accurately determine the specific projects".

Photo: Sakhalin Oblast government website He also expressed confidence in the success that can be achieved "if the products produced in the future in the Kuril Islands begin to be shipped outside this territory, to other regions and even states". "This will lead to an increase in jobs here, as well as to the growth of incomes of the local population," the Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Japan.

At the same time, cooperation restricts the absence of direct transport links between the Kuriles and Japan, the representatives of both countries noted.. In particular, the first charter flight in June did not take place due to unfavorable weather conditions. Now the new terms of the trip are agreed.

Within the framework of the federal and regional Kurile programs in Kunashir over the past few years, more than ten large-scale objects for various purposes have been built, the head of the South Kuril region Konstantin Butakov told the Japanese guests. But entrepreneurs have not yet fully revealed the richest resource potential of the territory, he said..

Photo: the site of the government of the Sakhalin region Butakov also invited the participants of the Japanese delegation "to pay attention to good opportunities for the construction of new complexes for deep processing of marine bioresources, fish farms, and mariculture enterprises". And a great future for the development of tourism potential, alternative energy, garbage processing, besides, the residents of the Kuriles need to improve the scope of trade and services, he added..

During the day on Wednesday, June 28, a business mission from Japan will visit energy, healthcare, retail and tourism facilities in Kunashir. In the evening, guests will go by boat to the island of Iturup. On Friday, June 30, the mission will work on the island of Shikotan, and there will also sum up the results of the visit.