As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, there have been growing concerns that tensions are rising between Russia and Japan over the Kuril Islands. Stretching across 1200 kilometres, or 750 miles, between Hokkaido and the Khamchatka Peninsula, the southern part of the archipelago has been a source of friction between Tokyo and Moscow since the end of the Second World War. So, could we see a conflict between Russia and Japan over the islands?

Hello and welcome! My name is James Ker-Lindsay. Here I take an informed look at International Relations with a focus on territorial conflicts, secession, independence movements and new countries. If you like what you see, please do subscribe. If you want more, including exclusive content and benefits, consider becoming a channel member. Many thanks!

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE http://www.youtube.com/c/JamesKerLind...
SUPPORT THE CHANNEL    / jameskerlindsay  

Since 1945, Japan has been at odds with the Soviet Union and then Russia over the Kuril Islands. Originally divided between them in 1855 under the Treaty of Shimoda - when Japan gained Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai Islets - the entire chain was ceded to Japan in 1875 in return for south Sakhalin Island, which was regained in 1905 after the Russo-Japanese War. Although the USSR and Japan signed a Neutrality Pact in 1941, as the war in the Far East drew ended in August 1945, Moscow invaded South Sakhalin and the entire the Kuril Islands chain. In 1956, the two countries signed a Peace Declaration. However, their dispute over the Kuriles, prevented them from signing a formal peace treaty. To this day, Russia and Japan have still not signed an agreement due to the Kuril Islands, which are called the 'Northern Territories' by Japan. But while there had been some sign of progress in recent years, especially following talks between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Russia seems to have become more hardline. This has been especially the case since the start of the war in Ukraine.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction and Titles
0:36 Peace Treaties, Ceasefires and Declarations
1:40 Japan, Russia and the Kuril Islands
2:41 Japan-Russia: Sakhalin and the Kuriles
4:17 The Russo-Japanese War and Second World War
5:26 Japan-USSR Peace Declaration and the Kuril Islands
6:38 Russia-Japan: Post-Cold War Negotiations
8:22 New Tensions over the Kuril Islands
9:50 Japan, Russia and the Kurils: Conflict or Final Peace?

RELATED PLAYLISTS
Current Issues and Disputes    • CURRENT ISSUES AND DISPUTES  
International Relations, Conflict and Security in Asia and Oceania    • ASIA AND OCEANIA  
International Relations, Conflict and Security in the Post-Soviet Space    • Ukraine-Belarus | The Most Unusual UN...  

===============
FURTHER READING & USEFUL SOURCES

Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Northern Territories https://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/...
Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs http://www.mid.ru
Soviet-Japanese Peace Declaration (1956) https://worldjpn.grips.ac.jp/document...
https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publicati...
Japan and Russia: The Tortuous Path to Normalization 1949-1999 https://amzn.to/3JPhBVW
Japan's Russia: Challenging the East-West Paradigm https://amzn.to/3JPhJoo

===============
MY BOOKS

Secession and State Creation: What Everyone Needs to Know https://amzn.to/2MPY3W2 [PRE-ORDER]
The Cyprus Problem: What Everyone Needs to Know https://amzn.to/2FaaBU2
Kosovo: The Path to Contested Statehood in the Balkans https://amzn.to/35jiBN2
The Foreign Policy of Counter-Secession https://amzn.to/2Qinm5t
My other books https://amzn.to/2MlP13u

===============
MY PROFILES & SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS

Twitter   / jameskerlindsay  
LinkedIn   / james-ker-lindsay-b31b9930  
Academia.edu https://lse.academia.edu/JamesKerLindsay
Research Gate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/...

===============
EQUIPMENT& TOOL USED TO MAKE THIS VIDEO

Camera: Canon XA40 https://amzn.to/3CLinzy
Microphone: Røde VideoMic NTG https://amzn.to/2MAHBZj
Key Light: Elgato https://amzn.to/3D85kJx
Accent Lights: Aputure MC https://amzn.to/3kkoGSS
Teleprompter: Parrot 2 https://amzn.to/2VLcRsm
Tripod: Geekoto 79" Carbon Fibre https://amzn.to/2wWMNT1
Channel Analytics: TubeBuddy https://www.tubebuddy.com/JKL
Channel Graphics: https://motionvfx.sjv.io/NKB34O

===============
KEYWORDS

#Japan #Russia #KurilIslands
#InternationalPolitics #CurrentAffairs #InternationalRelations
#Secession #Statehood #Independence
#InternationalLaw #InternationalHistory

DISCLAIMER: Some of the links above are affiliate links. These pay a small commission if you make a purchase. This helps to support the channel and will be at no additional cost to you.