Japanese to visit Russian-held isle, but visa-free trips in question

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VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, July 7 Kyodo -
A Russian Foreign Ministry representative in Sakhalin said Tuesday that Russian
residents of a disputed island off Hokkaido will accept a delegation of former
Japanese islanders as scheduled, denying earlier remarks by Sakhalin provincial
government officials that they are refusing a visa-free visit by the Japanese.
The officials had said residents of Etorofu Island are rejecting the delegation
in protest at the newly enacted amendment to a Japanese law that declares the
Russian-held islands to be an ''integral part'' of Japan. In the meantime, the
upper house of the Russian parliament proposed Tuesday that Moscow introduce a
moratorium on visa-free bilateral exchanges.
The 65-member Japanese delegation left Nemuro port in eastern Hokkaido Monday
for a five-day trip, which includes scheduled visits to Kunashiri and Etorofu
islands.
Etorofu, Kunashiri and Shikotan islands as well as the Habomai islet group are
at the center of a long-standing territorial row between Japan and Russia.
Soviet troops occupied the islands, dubbed the Northern Territories in Japan
and the Southern Kurils in Russia, following the end of World War II and Tokyo
has since called for their return.
The visa-free exchange program, initiated in 1992, is intended to deepen mutual
understanding between the two countries toward a solution to the territorial
dispute.
In a special statement adopted Tuesday, the upper house of the Russian
parliament urged Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to freeze the program,
saying Japan's law revision last Friday runs ''counter to the principle of
Russian-Japanese good neighborliness, mutual respect and constructive dialogue
aimed at a mutually acceptable settlement of the problem.''
The upper chamber said it regards the amendment as ''an extremely unfriendly
gesture insulting the Russian people.''
The delegation comprised mostly of former Japanese islanders and their
descendants is led by Yoko Yamaguchi, assistant general secretary of Japan's
largest labor organization Rengo, or the Japanese Trade Union Confederation.
Among the delegation is House of Representatives member Muneo Suzuki, a former
state minister, who heads the New Party Daichi.
During the trip, a fashion show is planned on the two islands and Japanese
delegation members plan to visit local government offices and attend a
discussion forum with Russian islanders. The delegation is scheduled to return
to Nemuro port on Friday.
==Kyodo