Japan’s demand for return of ‘northern territories’ runs counter to UN Charter - Lavrov

MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. Japan’s demand that Moscow hands the southern Kuril Islands over to Tokyo runs counter to the country’s obligations under the United Nations Charter, which says that the outcome of World War II is not subject to review, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at his annual news conference on Wednesday. "Recognizing the outcome of World War II is neither an ultimatum nor a precondition. It is an inevitable and indispensable factor in today’s international system," he said. "When joining the United Nations, Japan signed and ratified the UN Charter, while its Article 107 says that the outcome of World War II is not subject to review. This is why we don’t demand anything, we just call on our Japanese neighbors to act in accordance with their obligations under the UN Charter, the Treaty of San Francisco and a number of other documents," the Russian top diplomat added. "The Japanese legislation enshrines the term ‘northern territories’," Lavrov noted. "No one ever made agreements on the return of those territories, it directly contradicts Japan’s obligations under the UN Charter," he stressed. Kuril Islands issue Since the mid-20th century, Russia and Japan have been holding consultations in order to clinch a peace treaty as a follow-up to World War II. The Kuril Islands issue remains the sticking point since after WWII the islands were handed over to the Soviet Union while Japan laid claims to the four southern islands. In 1956, the two countries signed a joint declaration on ending the state of war and restoring diplomatic and all other relations, however, a peace treaty has still not been reached. Moscow has stated many times that Russia’s sovereignty over the islands cannot be called into question. Read more