Arab News Japan

TOKYO: The Russian Federation Embassy in Tokyo took the brunt of Japanese nationalists’ rage on Northern Territories Day, as several groups protested and called for the return of the Northern Territories to Japan.

A large police presence was on hand around the Russian diplomatic compound.

Earlier in the day, the nationalists demonstrated in front of the National Theater, where a government event was taking place, and in front of the headquarters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

The nationalists of the All Japan Nationalists Organization Conference took turns in groups of five in front of the door of the Russian consulate to demand the return of the islets annexed by the Soviet Union in 1946 and demanded an apology from Russia.

Uniformed nationalists demanded respect for the Treaty of Shimoda signed on February 7, 1855, which recognizes Japan’s sovereignty over the disputed islets, which include the southern islets of Habumai and Shikotan that Russia incorporated into the Kuril Archipelago.

Despite recent attempts to find an agreement between the Japanese and Russian governments, provocations by the Russian Federation with visits by former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to one of the islets have strained relations.  The Russian constitution does not allow the retrocession of part of its territory despite Putin’s declaration to initiate a peace treaty.

The disputed islets north of Hokkaido are wedged between Vladivostok and the Kamchatka Peninsula and they have significant fishery resources and are of strategic and military importance.