Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Monday visited Kunashiri Island, one of the four Russian-held islands east of Hokkaido claimed by Japan. He became the first leader from Russia or the former Soviet Union to set a foot on what Japan calls the Northern Territories.
It is highly regrettable that he visited a place over which the question of territorial jurisdiction has not yet been solved between Japan and Russia. His visit runs counter to the Tokyo Declaration of 1993, signed by then Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa and then Russian President Boris Yeltsin. It declared that the two countries will sign a peace treaty by solving the territorial issue on the basis of the related bilateral documents and law and justice.
In February 2009, Mr. Medvedev proposed taking an "ingenuous approach" to solve the territorial issue. This has not yet taken place. Is he trying to project an image of a strong leader with the Russian presidential election in 2012 in mind?