Tokyo To Designate Russia-Held Islands As "Illegally Occupied"

Japan will return to describing Russia's hold over several islands off Hokkaido as "illegal occupation," Kyodo News reports citing a draft of Diplomatic Bluebook, an annual foreign policy report issued by the Japanese government.

• Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group, also known as the Southern Kurils in Russia or the Northern Territories in Japan, have been controlled by Moscow since the end of World War II, preventing the two nations from signing a peace treaty.
• Consecutive Japanese Prime Ministers made efforts to end the decades-long territorial dispute with Russia, but to no avail, with Moscow's attack on Ukraine putting further strain on bilateral tensions.
• Kyodo notes that the Japanese government is planning to call the disputed territories an "inherent" part of the Japanese territory. This will mark a return to the phrasing dropped after the 2011 edition of the Bluebook in a bid to appease Russia.
• The next edition of the Bluebook will be published late this month, pending the approval of the full Cabinet.