Yu Koizumi, a military analyst from Japan believes that for the last 5 years the lives of Russians in the Kuril Islands have changed for the better. "When I visited the island in 2013, only a few roads were asphalted and the reconstruction of some buildings began, but this time almost all roads in Yuzhno-Kurilsk were asphalted and most of the buildings were renovated," Yuno "quoted YunoSmith with reference to Yahoo News Japan. The analyst frankly admitted that the new house of culture, where the meeting of the Japanese delegation with the local administration was held, completely overwhelmed him. I liked the Japanese guest and the sports center - also new - with a 25-meter pool and a gym. "Visiting costs only 150 - 200 rubles," - noted Yu. Although Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk loses, if compared to large cities, "for the Russian remote areas this is a very high level," the Japanese analyst.

He added that the local people like their life and lamented that "the economic trump card in the sleeve of Japan" has now become less valuable than before. According to Yu Koizumi, the average salary in the islands is higher than in mainland Russia, but noted that in general life costs more, as all goods and a lot of products have to be delivered from the "big earth". Japan does not consider the South Kurils Russian - Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai archipelago are called "the northern territories" of the country in the country of the rising sun.