TOKYO: Japan has lodged a protest with Russia through diplomatic channels over its recent designation of a group of former Japanese residents of Russian-held islands as an undesirable organization, Chief Cabinet Secretary MATSUNO Hirokazu said Monday.

“Russia’s claim is so one-sided and completely wrong,” the top Japanese government spokesman told a press conference, criticizing the designation made Friday by the Russian Prosecutor-General’s Office.

The designation should never adversely affect the activities of the group, known as Chishima Renmei, and the former residents of the islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories, Matsuno said.

The Russian-held islands were seized by the former Soviet Union in the closing days of World War II. The territorial row over the islands has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from concluding a peace treaty to formally end their wartime hostilities.

JIJI Press