TOKYO (Sputnik) – Earlier on Saturday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev paid a visit to Iturup, the northernmost island of the Kurils to examine the construction sites that are part of Russia’s Kuril development program.
The Southern Kuril Islands located in the Sea of Okhotsk are a source of long-running territorial dispute between Russia and Japan. The two countries did not sign a permanent peace treaty following the end of the World War II, and Tokyo still challenges Russia's sovereignty over Iturup and three other islands.
“We are concerned about…. unilateral actions of the Russian side regarding the Northern Territories [Kuril Islands]… We call for a constructive position to further develop Japan-Russia relations, in particular regarding a peace treaty issue," the statement by the Japanese ministry read.
