Kuril Islands: resuscitation of the Kozyrev formula for the surrender of the Russian islands. Putin will give the Southern Kuril Islands to the Japanese by the end of the year

Trying to convince the President of the Russian Federation V. Putin and the entire Russian people in fabulous prospects for our country in the event of the surrender of the South Kuril Islands to Japan, Prime Minister of Japan S. Abe does not spare paints and made delights. Let us recall his speech at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in September this year:

“This year, on May 25, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, I attracted the attention of the audience with the words: “Let's dream.” I then encouraged the audience to imagine with hope what will happen in our entire region when permanent stability is restored between Japan and Russia...

Arctic Ocean, Bering Sea, northern part Pacific Ocean, The Sea of ​​Japan will then be able to become the main sea road of peace and prosperity, and the islands, which were once the cause of confrontation, will turn into a symbol of Japanese-Russian cooperation and will open up favorable opportunities as a logistics hub and stronghold. The Sea of ​​Japan will also change, becoming a logistics highway.

And after that, perhaps, there will be a vast macro-region controlled by free, fair rules in China, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia - to the countries of the Indo-Pacific region. And this region will be filled with peace, prosperity and dynamism..."

And so on and so forth.

And this is said by the head of state, who announced to our country that he has no intention of lifting illegal economic sanctions designed to further complicate the life of the people of Russia and prevent their development. The head of state, which, as the closest military ally of the United States, considers Russia an enemy that must be resisted in every possible way. Hearing such hypocritical speeches, you really feel embarrassed for Abe-san, and for all the Japanese for their outright insincerity and attempt to achieve the desired goal with flattery and promises - to tear away the Far Eastern lands that legally belong to our country.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine recently spoke about the true attitude towards our country. Shigeki Sumi, who headed the country's diplomatic mission rising sun exactly after the “revolution of dignity” in 2014. In an interview (Ukrinform, Ukraine), he first said that, in response to the “annexation” of Crimea by Russia and the conflict in Donbass, “Japan introduced sanctions against the Russian Federation. “I want to emphasize that at that time only Japan acted so decisively in Asia... And Tokyo also began assistance to Ukraine totaling 1.86 billion US dollars.” The ambassador does not specify what this Japanese money was used for, although it is quite possible that it was used to wage war against the people of Donbass.

Insisting, contrary to facts and logic, on the allegedly “forcible” annexation of Crimea to Russia, the plenipotentiary representative of Japan reports: “First, the Japanese position is that it does not recognize and will not recognize in the future the “annexation” of Crimea, which declared Russia. Therefore, Japan will continue anti-Russian sanctions as long as Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea continues.”

Shigeki Sumi in Ukraine

An important confession. Considering that Crimea has “returned to its native harbor” forever, the ambassador reports that his government, that is, the Abe cabinet, is by no means going to reconsider the decision on sanctions against Russia. How can one not recall the ironic remark of Russian President V. Putin that Tokyo introduced sanctions, apparently, to “strengthen trust between Japan and Russia.”

But then the ambassador comes to his senses, apparently remembering his boss’s flirtation with Moscow in the hope of getting the Kuril Islands. A clumsy excuse follows: “ Various actions Russia versus Ukraine, the issue of Crimea and the issue of Donbass must be separated from negotiations on the return of the Northern Territories. This is Japan's position. Friendly relations with Russia are needed precisely to resolve the issue of the Northern Territories, because Japan has been making efforts to achieve this since the end of World War II..."

Thank you, Mr. Ambassador, for recognizing that Tokyo needs “friendship with Russia” precisely to bargain for the Kuril Islands. I hope that the Russian authorities will pay attention to this significant and very frank admission.

“Secondly, the Japanese position regarding Donbass is that it is occupied by so-called armed groups. Japan does not recognize this long occupation, and accordingly does not recognize the so-called “elections” that took place there. This is Japan’s position, and we publicly declare this,” says the ambassador.

During the interview, it also became clear that at the Russian-Japanese summit talks, Tokyo is, in fact, trying to blackmail Moscow, threatening to continue sanctions: “Despite friendly relations, if a friend does something bad, then we say that it is wrong. And if he does not give up his actions, then, of course, we do something to make him come to his senses. Of course, Japan is not imposing sanctions against Russia for the sake of sanctions. On the contrary, if Russia returns Crimea to Ukraine and implements the Minsk agreements to resolve the issue in Donbass, and decides everything positively, then the sanctions will end. We clearly explain this to Russia.”

And not a word about the responsibility of Kyiv and its Western patrons, including Japan, for unleashing a fratricidal war in Ukraine.

Some in Russia emphasize that the sanctions announced by Japan to our country are supposedly “symbolic in nature” and do not have a serious impact on trade and economic relations between the two countries. This is only partly true if we recall, for example, the refusal of Japanese companies to purchase Russian aluminum for fear of discontent with the United States. However, much more sensitive for Moscow is the political position of “Shinzo’s friend”, who in all respects agrees with the decisions of the G7 on policy towards Russia. And at the same time, he paints rosy prospects for the future of Japanese-Russian prosperity, promising all sorts of benefits after the surrender of the Kuril Islands.

Matsuoka in the presence of I.V. Stalin, V.M. Molotov and A.Ya. Vyshinsky signs the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact. Moscow, April 1941

Seeing such, frankly, double-dealing policies, one again recalls the “exchange of pleasantries” between Joseph Stalin and Japanese Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka in April 1941 during negotiations on concluding a bilateral non-aggression pact.

From the transcript of the negotiations: “...Matsuoka states that he had instructions that spoke about the sale of Northern Sakhalin, but since the USSR does not agree, nothing can be done.

Comrade Stalin comes up to the map and, pointing to Primorye and its outlets to the ocean, says: Japan holds in its hands all the outlets of Soviet Primorye to the ocean - the Kuril Strait Southern Cape Kamchatka, La Perouse Strait south of Sakhalin, Tsushima Strait near Korea. Now you want to take Northern Sakhalin and completely seal it off Soviet Union. What are you saying, Comrade. Stalin, smiling, want to strangle us? What kind of friendship is this?

Matsuoka says this would be necessary to create a new order in Asia. In addition, Matsuoka says, Japan does not object to the USSR reaching through India to warm sea. In India, Matsuoka adds, there are Indians whom Japan can guide so that they do not interfere with this. In conclusion, Matsuoka says, pointing to the USSR on the map, that he does not understand why the USSR, which has a huge territory, does not want to cede a small territory in such a cold place.

Comrade Stalin asks: why do you need the cold regions of Sakhalin?

Matsuoka replies that this will create peace in the area, and in addition, Japan agrees to the USSR access to the warm sea.

Comrade Stalin replies that this gives peace to Japan, and the USSR will have to fight the war here (points to India). This won't do.

Next Matsuoka, pointing to the area south seas and Indonesia, says that if the USSR needs anything in this area, then Japan can deliver rubber and other products to the USSR. Matsuoka says that Japan wants to help the USSR, not interfere.

Comrade Stalin replies that taking Northern Sakhalin means preventing the Soviet Union from living.”

To paraphrase the leader’s statement, it is high time to say directly to Abe-san: “Take Kurile Islands- means preventing Russia from living.”

As a result of a public opinion poll conducted by the REGNUM news agency, unprecedented in scale and coverage of various segments of the population (about 57 thousand people were surveyed), on the issue of Japanese claims to the Kuril Islands, it turned out that 89 percent of the residents of our country are against any territorial concessions to Japan. This includes all concession options - be it four, two or even one island. That is, concessions are unacceptable in principle.

Understanding full well that the Russian people will not allow Japanese territorial claims to the Kuril Islands to be satisfied, Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, leaves the door open for negotiations. At the same time, from time to time he throws “logs on the fire” of Japanese hopes and expectations, when he agrees to return to the “Khrushchev compromise” on the transfer to Japan in the form of a gesture of goodwill of all the islands of the Lesser Kuril chain - the island of Shikotan and 18 small islands, shoals and sea ​​stones, called Habomai in Japan, then puzzles the Japanese with the proposal to end the fight of “political judo” in a draw - the notorious “hikiwake”. At the same time, we constantly talk about the clearly unrealistic option of coming to an “amicable agreement” in which “there will be neither winners nor losers.”

In my opinion, the proposal to conclude a peace treaty by the end of the year without a final resolution of the issue of territorial delimitation has not been fully thought out. The fact that the Japanese did not agree with this did not surprise me personally, because the peace treaty, which has long become an anachronism and is useless for us, is needed by Tokyo for the sole purpose of achieving inclusion in such a treaty of Russia’s consent to “return the northern territories.” Without this, the Japanese do not need a peace treaty. Therefore, it would be more reasonable to propose signing an interim agreement on good neighborliness and cooperation, although it would not satisfy the Japanese side, which, no offense intended, openly seeks to use such cooperation primarily to encourage Moscow to agree to territorial concessions.

The fact that Abe proposed at the negotiations in Singapore to focus on the “Khrushchev compromise” in the search for a solution to the “territorial issue” is a manifestation of his fears about the possibility of Moscow deciding otherwise to completely stop negotiations on territorial delimitation due to their senselessness. Tokyo is beginning to realize that, not to mention Kunashir and Iturup, for which the Japanese have no legal basis for their claims, they also have Habomai and Shikotan far from being “in their pocket,” as some people think. We have to explain that with all Putin’s love for Japan, the desire to resolve contradictions to “mutual satisfaction”, even with the agreement to fulfill Khrushchev’s voluntaristic promise of a “gift” to Japan of the Lesser Kuril Islands (Yeltsin, while fishing, promised to give “friend Ryu” all the southern Kuril Islands) Putin will take a serious political risk, because in this case, serious protests await him, both in parliament and outside it. Protesters will recall the surrender of the islands on the Amur and Ussuri, and the clearly flawed decision to transfer to Norway vast areas rich in marine and energy resources in the Barents Sea, and concessions to other neighboring countries.

Recent personal experience Communication with representatives of various sectors of Japanese society shows that there are fewer and fewer people here who support the irreconcilable position of the ruling class on the strict demand for all “northern territories” under the slogan “all or nothing.” Sentiments in favor of compromise agreements with Russia are especially strong on the northern island of Hokkaido, where local fishermen are still Soviet times, and now even more so, they declare their interest, first of all, in safe fishing in the waters bordering Russia, the production of marine animals and shellfish, and kombu seaweed, which is in great demand in Japan (Japanese kelp).

However, despite the obvious fact of Putin’s reluctance and inability to accept territorial losses that are unjustified and not approved by the people, the Japanese government declares its intention to firmly achieve its goal - to demand maximum satisfaction of its claims. This was reiterated today by the Secretary General of the Cabinet of Ministers of the country, Yoshihide Suga, who voiced the position of the government and personally of Prime Minister Abe, emphasizing that “the basic position on concluding a peace treaty after resolving the issue of the ownership of the northern territories (all southern Kuril Islands - A.K.) remains unchanged.” The maximum that the Japanese government can do is not to insist on the immediate surrender of the islands, that is, a willingness to delay “receiving” them. “We are ready to respond flexibly to the timing and circumstances surrounding a specific transfer (of the islands). But our basic position is the conclusion of a peace treaty after resolving the issue of the ownership of the four northern islands, there are no changes on this point,” Suga emphasized. At the same time, as TASS reports, he positively assessed the negotiations between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin that took place on Wednesday in Singapore, noting that they “gave important inertia (?!) to the development of Japanese-Russian relations.”

It is also reported that Abe, following a meeting with Putin in Singapore, told reporters that he would visit Russia in early 2019, and also expressed confidence that “the leaders of the two states will be able to resolve the territorial dispute and conclude a peace treaty.”

As for President Putin’s reaction to the option of returning to the conditions of 1956, he was rather restrained. As Interfax reports, Putin noted that the day before, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe indicated that Tokyo was ready to return to discussing the issue of a peace treaty based on the 1956 declaration. However, Putin continued, this work requires “separate additional, serious study, bearing in mind that not everything is clear in the declaration itself.” “There, in principle, the problem is simply stated that the Soviet Union is ready to transfer two islands, but it does not say on what grounds, under whose sovereignty they fall. This is a matter of serious study. Moreover, Japan itself once refused to implement these agreements,” Putin emphasized.