Japan protested against the plans of the Russian government to lay a fiber-optic cable between Sakhalin and the three islands of the Kuril chain. The Kremlin's intentions are "extremely disappointing," a Japanese government spokesman said on Monday, June 11.

Earlier it was announced about the intentions of Moscow and Tokyo to jointly pursue the economic development of the Kuril Islands. However, because of the question of the ownership of the Kurils, it is still unclear whether it will be possible to start working together. While the Russian Federation plans to cooperate in accordance with Russian laws, Japan wants to make sure that the overall economic projects will not be perceived as recognition of Russia's position in the territorial conflict.

In December 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Tokyo for the first time in 11 years, but neither then nor in April 2017, after the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Moscow, the dispute over the Kuriles was not settled. We are talking about the four islands of the southern Kuril chain - Iturupe, Kunashiri, Shikotane and Habomai. Russia occupied these islands after the Second World War, and Japan considers them their own and insists on returning. Because of the conflict over the ownership of the Kuriles, the two countries have not yet signed a peace treaty.

Source: DW.