Japanese PM: South of Kuril Islands under Russian occupation

According to Japan, the southern part of the Kuril Islands is under the occupation of Russia, and at present, there is no prospect of any dialogue with this country, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said during parliamentary debates, Report informs.

He said that the occupation of our northern territories by Russia is not based on any legal provisions: "Our position on the status of illegal occupation remains unchanged. In such a situation, it is impossible to talk about the prospects of negotiations."

He admitted that the goals set forth by his predecessor, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, concerning the problem of "northern territories" (a term used in Tokyo to refer to the Kuril Islands) and a peace treaty with Russia have not been attained. "Regrettably, our efforts have yielded no result," he added.