During the visit of the delegation of the Government of Japan to the Kuril Islands officials confiscated satellite phones. Official Tokyo protested, but in Russia it is believed that the Japanese are to blame themselves: they ignored the requirements of our legislation and thus added fuel to the fire of an old dispute over the ownership of the Kuriles. According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Kurils are an inalienable part of the territory of our country. When you visit the islands for all, there are unified rules. The possibility of traveling to the southern Kuril Islands for Japanese officials is a gesture of goodwill on the part of the Russian authorities. The unwillingness of guests from the Land of the Rising Sun to comply with legislative requirements is alarming, noted in the Federation Council. "The Japanese, if they want to use some opportunities, must follow Russian rules. But it is not excluded, that from this specially made a political PR. Just on purpose they did not give up these gadgets and went to the scandal. There are people in Japan who are specially thrown into the firebox. Some need provocation, "- said Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation for International Affairs Andrei Klimov in an interview with RIA FAN. According to the senator, "if they went to honor the memory of their ancestors - and that was the purpose of the trip - one thing, if you quarrel - another, you need to separate these moments". "The reality is that now the boundaries lie just like this. On the territory of Russia for all the rules are one. They have not changed for the Japanese too. And this means that they, taking from us such opportunities that we give them, must also think about what to do to improve mutual understanding. That people could at any time meet their humanitarian needs and do it in a civilized way, "the politician concluded.. The scandal between Moscow and Tokyo broke out the day before, on July 22.

Secretary General of the Cabinet of Ministers of Japan Yoshihide Suga announced that Japan had protested the Russian Federation in connection with the confiscation of satellite phones from representatives of the Japanese government during a recent visit to southern Kurils by a group of their former residents. The seizure of phones by the Russian authorities Suga called "very regrettable" fact. "Based on our legal position, this is unacceptable.

We protested and demand an early return of the confiscated items, "reads the note sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Under the current Russian laws, for the importation of satellite phones into the country, it is necessary to obtain permission in the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation. However, the Japanese did not consider it necessary to issue a permit. They regard the Kuril Islands as their territory and therefore refuse to comply with Russian laws on this territory. About 70 Japanese citizens are the first in this season charter flight from the city of Nakashibetsu flew to the islands of Kunashir and Iturup to visit the graves of their ancestors. The trip took place on a visa-free exchange. Earlier to get from Japan to Russia without a visa was possible only on sea vessels.

Japan claims the four southern islands of the Kuril chain - Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai, referring to the Treatise on Trade and the Borders of 1855. , recalls the "Free Press". The position of the Russian Federation lies in the fact that the Southern Kuriles joined the USSR following the Second World War. Moscow's sovereignty over them is internationally legal and not subject to review. In recent years, the Russian Federation and Japan are negotiating on joint economic activities in the Southern Kuriles.