Most Japanese Oppose Peace Treaty With Russia Without Preconditions - Reports

TOKYO (Sputnik) - Around 75 percent of the Japanese oppose the possible signing of a permanent peace treaty with Russia without preconditions and the settlement of the Kuril Islands dispute, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Monday, citing an opinion poll.

According to the outlet, the poll revealed that around 75 percent of respondents said that they supported the government's resolution to settle the territorial dispute before signing the treaty, while only 19 percent said that it would be acceptable to conclude the treaty first.

Another six percent of respondents did not consider a permanent peace treaty with Russia to be at all necessary.

READ MORE: Problem of Signing Russia-Japan Peace Treaty

The nationwide poll was conducted between September 21-23.

Earlier in September, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed that a peace treaty between two countries without any preconditions be signed before the end of the year. However, Tokyo later said that it would continue to insist that the treaty could only be concluded after the settlement of the Kuril Islands territorial dispute.

Despite the fact that over 70 years have passed since the end of World War II, Russia and Japan have so far failed to sign a permanent peace treaty. Both countries contest the Kuril Islands, situated off Russia's Far Eastern coast, with Moscow insisting that the islands became a part of the territory of the Soviet Union following the end of the war. The Kurils are governed by Russia, but Japan expresses regular protests over the visits of Russian officials to the islands.