2026-08-18 · World | Deutsche Welle
🔮 Russia and Japan's longstanding territorial row
Successive Japanese governments have consistently taken the position that the islands were illegally annexed, with the dispute so impacting bilateral ties that the two nations have yet to sign a formal peace treaty.
The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent economic hardships gave Japan renewed hope that Moscow could be convinced to return the islands in return for economic assistance or even joint development of the region. assertive