YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, June 30 (RIA Novosti, Pyotr Tsyrendorzhiyev) - The Sakhalin Island authorities have decided to restore Japanese monuments in the island's south, the regional information department said Thursday.
The decision comes on the heels of governor Ivan Malakhov's order to develop tourism.
The regional Culture Department made a preliminary list of culture monuments from the period when the island was under Japanese rule from 1905-1945 and was called Karafuto. The list includes Japanese defensive, cultural and religious buildings and memorials in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and neighboring districts.
The department took into account not only the cultural and historic meaning of the monuments, but also commercial aspects, including low restoration and maintenance expenses.
The Sakhalin administration is also set to restore the classical Russian Muravyovsky fortress in the port of Kosakov built in 1853.
