First group of Japanese tourists heads to Southern Kuril Islands - foreign minister

TOKYO, October 29. /TASS/. The first group of Japanese tourists begins their trip to the Southern Kuril Islands on Tuesday from the port of Nemuro (Hokkaido). The trip will lay the basis for organizing similar large-scale tours in the future, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday during a press conference in Tokyo. "The group will leave on a boat. It will include over 40 tourists and accompanying persons. Starting October 30, they plan to visit the Kunashir Island and the Iturup Island." "We would like this trip to play its part in resolving the issue of Northern Territories (Japan’s name for the Southern Kuril Islands) and helping advance the talks with Russia on joint economic activity on the islands," Motegi said. "This will be a trial run in the development of large-scale tours corresponding to the characteristics of the area." The trip will last until November 4, the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism informed TASS earlier. According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, 44 people are taking part in the trip, including officials and translators. The tourists are set to visit Orthodox churches on the Kunashir Island and admire the hot springs and the white cliffs of the Iturup Island. Russia’s Federal Agency for Tourism said earlier that after holding the first tour, regular tourist trips to the Southern Kuril Islands for the Japanese would be launched by 2020. The agency added that the project, aimed at boosting tourism to Russia, would also help increase the tourist flow between Japan and Russia to 400,000 by 2023. Moscow and Tokyo continue consultations on joint economic activities on the Southern Kuril Islands in the areas of aquaculture, greenhouse farming, tourism, wind energy and waste management. Russia and Japan consider joint economic activities on the islands as an important step towards signing a peace treaty. This June, Russia and Japan agreed on two business plans on waste management and tourism on the Kuril Islands. Read more