[Tintin Storm]

Looking through articles on the Internet or in newspapers, we often stumble upon texts written by someone in haste, which often are completely incorrect. For example, I became convinced of the incompetence of respected «Wall Street Journal» authors Ann M. Simmons and Chieko Tsuneoka after reading their article «Japan, Russia Take Steps Toward Resolving Territorial Dispute»

The authors did not bother to familiarize themselves with well-known facts before writing the material, not considering it necessary, and it turned out that the Kuril Islands were «taken from Japan by the USSR» in 1945. After all, it is known that these islands passed to the USSR absolutely legally under the terms of the Yalta Agreement and the Treaty of San Francisco.

Also, the authors' ignorance of historical facts was manifested in their ridiculous statement that «Russia and Japan after the Second World War did not sign an armistice (?!) because of the contested territories ... ». In reality, peace between the two states was concluded in accordance with the terms of the Soviet-Japanese joint declaration of 1956, which also included the provision on territorial demarcation. And for the fact that the final peace treaty, which the USSR government showed readiness to sign, has not yet been signed, the sole responsibility is the Japanese side, which, under pressure from Washington, arbitrarily changed the terms of the signed and ratified document, requiring new territorial concessions.

Moreover, the Japanese are now allowed to visit the Kuril Islands without issuing visas as part of the tourist program of a visa-free regime, which, by the way, is not provided for by Russian law. But the impudence of the Japanese has reached such an extent that they believe that this program «is unlikely to have any impact on the resolution of the territorial issue» and that if the Russian authorities agreed to this, then they would recognize these islands as Japanese.

Thus, the ignorance of well-known historical facts and the incompetence of the authors of authoritative publications mislead the regional and world public, misinforms the modern generation, and also contradicts the provisions of international acts.

[ThirdTerm]

The authors did not bother to familiarize themselves with well-known facts before writing the material, not considering it necessary, and it turned out that the Kuril Islands were «taken from Japan by the USSR» in 1945. After all, it is known that these islands passed to the USSR absolutely legally under the terms of the Yalta Agreement and the Treaty of San Francisco.

Regarding the Far East, a secret protocol of the Yalta Agreement, which was not made public at the time, stipulated that, in return for the Soviet Union's entering the war against Japan within “two or three months” after Germany's surrender, the U.S.S.R. would obtain from Japan the Kuril Islands and regain the territory lost in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05. However, the Habomai and Shikotan Islands were not part of the Kuril Islands, which were seized by the Soviets unlawfully. Stalin knew it, which was why he offered Japan to return the two islands in exchange for the peace treaty.

AGREEMENT REGARDING JAPAN
The leaders of the three great powers - the Soviet Union, the United States of America and Great Britain - have agreed that in two or three months after Germany has surrendered and the war in Europe is terminated, the Soviet Union shall enter into war against Japan on the side of the Allies on condition that:

1. The status quo in Outer Mongolia (the Mongolian People's Republic) shall be preserved.
2. The former rights of Russia violated by the treacherous attack of Japan in 1904 shall be restored, viz.:
(a) The southern part of Sakhalin as well as the islands adjacent to it shall be returned to the Soviet Union;
(b) The commercial port of Dairen shall be internationalized, the pre-eminent interests of the Soviet Union in this port being safeguarded, and the lease of Port Arthur as a naval base of the U.S.S.R. restored;
(c) The Chinese-Eastern Railroad and the South Manchurian Railroad, which provide an outlet to Dairen, shall be jointly operated by the establishment of a joint Soviet-Chinese company, it being understood that the pre-eminent interests of the Soviet Union shall be safeguarded and that China shall retain sovereignty in Manchuria;
3. The Kurile Islands shall be handed over to the Soviet Union.
It is understood that the agreement concerning Outer Mongolia and the ports and railroads referred to above will require concurrence of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. The President will take measures in order to maintain this concurrence on advice from Marshal Stalin.

The heads of the three great powers have agreed that these claims of the Soviet Union shall be unquestionably fulfilled after Japan has been defeated.

For its part, the Soviet Union expresses it readiness to conclude with the National Government of China a pact of friendship and alliance between the U.S.S.R. and China in order to render assistance to China with its armed forces for the purpose of liberating China from the Japanese yoke.

Joseph Stalin
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Winston S. Churchill

February 11, 1945.

https://avalon.law.yale.edu/wwii/yalta.asp

In reality, peace between the two states was concluded in accordance with the terms of the Soviet-Japanese joint declaration of 1956, which also included the provision on territorial demarcation. And for the fact that the final peace treaty, which the USSR government showed readiness to sign, has not yet been signed, the sole responsibility is the Japanese side, which, under pressure from Washington, arbitrarily changed the terms of the signed and ratified document, requiring new territorial concessions.

On October 19, 1956, Japan and the Soviet Union signed a Joint Declaration providing for the end of the state of war, and for restoration of diplomatic relations between USSR and Japan.

The Joint Declaration provided, in its article 9, for continuation of negotiations for the conclusion of a peace treaty after the restoration of diplomatic relations between the countries and further stipulated, that "in this connexion [sic], the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, desiring to meet the wishes of Japan and taking into consideration the interests of the Japanese State, agrees to transfer to Japan the Habomai Islands and the islet of Shikotan, the actual transfer of these islands to Japan to take place after the conclusion of a Peace Treaty between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Japan".