A warship during an exercise in the Sea of JapanTOKYO, Feb 16 Japan protested to Russia in connection with plans to conduct firing in the waters near Iturup Island, the Kyodo news agency reported. Russia warned Japan about firing in the waters near Iturup Island from February 16 to 28. In response, Japan protested, as it considers the island its territory. «Increased military presence on the four northern islands is unacceptable,» the agency cites the content of the protest.The Russian Ambassador to Japan responded to the criticism of his American colleague because of the Kuril Islands. In Japan, Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan and Habomai are called the «Four Northern Islands» or «Northern Territories». made on February 14 and 15. Shooting should take place in the northwestern and eastern parts of the water area. Japan protested both firing warnings. Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that in January-February, a series of naval exercises were being held in all areas of responsibility of the Russian fleets. On Wednesday, it was reported about a training battle of corvettes of the Pacific Fleet in the Sea of Okhotsk. After the first stage of artillery firing at sea targets imitating a detachment of mock enemy ships, the combat crews of two corvettes destroyed mock-ups of floating mines dropped from «enemy» ships along the proposed navigation route. In total, more than 20 warships and support vessels, as well as aircraft and helicopters of naval aviation, were involved in the exercise of the Pacific Fleet in the Sea of Okhotsk. The Japanese Foreign Ministry hopes for progress in the dialogue with Russia on the Kuriles Tokyo set the return of the islands as a condition for concluding a peace treaty with the Russian Federation, which was never signed at the end of World War II. In 1956, the USSR and Japan signed a joint declaration in which Moscow agreed to consider the possibility of transferring two islands to Japan in the event of a peace treaty. The USSR hoped to put an end to this, while Japan considered the deal only part of the solution to the problem, without renouncing claims to all the islands. Subsequent negotiations came to nothing. Moscow's position is that the islands became part of the USSR following World War II, and the sovereignty of the Russian Federation over them is beyond doubt. take the Kuriles by force
