[Tintin Storm]

At the end of January 1946, the commander-in-chief of the allied powers, General Douglas MacArthur, excluded the Kuril Islands from Japan, and several days later sovereignty over them was proclaimed by the USSR, the legal successor of which is Russia. From this moment one of the most extensive territorial disputes in the history of Russia began. For more than 70 years, Japan has not accepted such a division of territories and insists on the return of the islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the group of Habomai islands.
However, Russia's position on the Kuril Islands remains unchanged: "This is the result of the Second World War, and today it is a sovereign Russian territory, enshrined in international documents."
Japan refers to the Treaty of Shimoda of 1855 in support of its rights to the islands. According to the Treaty, Russia recognized Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai as Japanese territory.
Of course, Japan is perfectly aware of all the illegitimacy and shakiness of its position in the territorial dispute over the islands, but it does not intend to retreat. The return of the islands became for some part of the Japanese society a kind of "national idea".
In 1956 the USSR was ready to transfer to Japan Habomai and Shikotan as a gesture of goodwill, but only after the signing of the peace treaty. But the US intervened and Japan refused to sign a peace treaty on such terms. The fact is that Washington threatened Tokyo that if a compromise was reached with the USSR on the "Kuril problem", Japan would not return the Ryukyu archipelago with Okinawa Island, which was under the control of the United States.
After that, the Japanese politicians talked only about the complete return of all the islands. And almost always found the support of the United States, which declared their readiness to assist Japan in the return of the islands, without specifying, in what form assistance would be provided. In addition, Washington has repeatedly emphasized that it recognizes the sovereignty of Japan over the four southern islands of the Kuril chain.
After the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin that the absence of a peace treaty between the two countries is an abnormal situation, Tokyo decided that Russia is ready to transfer the islands.
In the case of the transition of the southern Kurils to Japan, Russia will lose the ability to control the entry of foreign ships and submarines into the Sea of Okhotsk, which is the area of combat service for the Pacific Fleet's strategic missile submarine cruisers. The straits of the southern Kurils provide a "private" access to Pacific Ocean.
In addition, according to the statements of the Japanese side, there is an agreement between the United States and Japan, according to which, the US military base will appear on the Kuril Islands and the US missile defense system will be deployed in case of the transfer of the islands under the sovereignty of Japan.
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the return of the Kurile Islands is unrealistic, proceeding from the Russian policy in the sphere of security, domestic policy, and the international situation, because there is a military alliance between the United States and Japan. The loss of Kuril Islands by Russia will undermine the country's security.

[ThirdTerm]

Japan may allow U.S. military bases on two islands in the southern Kuril chain should the islands once again come under Tokyo’s governance.

According to the Japanese newspaper Asahi, the idea was raised in a Nov. 9 meeting in Moscow with the General Secretary of Japan’s Security Council Shotaro Yachi and Russian Security Council Head Nikolai Patrushev.

The Kuril Islands would “naturally” fall within the parameters of the agreement on security guarantees between the United States and Japan, Asahi reported.

https://themoscowtimes.com/news/japan-m ... ands-56528

This is a possibility raised by Shotaro Yachi who was detached to Moscow last year. The security agreement between Japan and the United States could get in the way of the signing of a peace treaty between Japan and Russia. Japan needs to offer a guarantee that it will not militarize Habomai and Shikotan to allay Russian fears.

[Crantag]

This is a possibility raised by Shotaro Yachi who was detached to Moscow last year. The security agreement between Japan and the United States could get in the way of the signing of a peace treaty between Japan and Russia. Japan needs to offer a guarantee that it will not militarize Habomai and Shikotan to allay Russian fears.

There are common features with the state of North Korea, and elsewhere. How easily we forget, the Chinese and Americans already fought a war over the land north of the 48th parallel. China held that line, at a cost of 400,000 Chinese troop casualties.

I realize the subject relates to Russia, but the clear parallel is the limits of American military expansion in the East.

For example, China recently warned that it would invade Taiwan if an American warship should call in port there, in response to a dictum from Taiwan allowing such American warships to do so.

There are severe and obvious limits on American power in the region. They mostly relate to immovable geographical and climactic factors, as well as conditions of global population distribution. Guam, Japan, Australia, South Korea, and some scattered islands are not a sufficient bulwark.

America is not a 1st rate Asian power.