According to a report by the Global Times on December 9, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister and the President’s plenipotentiary in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev made a proposal to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting that residents of Alaska be called Russian citizens. Trutnev’s proposal was to counter the United States’ perception of the residents of the Southern Kuril Islands as Japanese.
A few days ago, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs published the US green card lottery rules, requiring Russians born in the Southern Kuril Islands to write “Japan” as their place of birth. Washington’s stance on Japan-Russia territorial disputes is actually further intensifying the contradictions between Japan and Russia, thereby further controlling Japan.
Japan and Russia did not have any territorial issues. The South Kuril Islands were historically Chinese territory, and they were later ceded to Russia by the Qing government. After the end of the Russo-Japanese War, Japan, as the victor, obtained sovereignty of the island in accordance with the treaty. After its defeat in World War II, it was ceded to Russia in accordance with the Potsdam proclamation.
According to the logic of the Japanese, saying that the South Kuril Islands are China may be more justified than that of Japan.
After Japan was defeated, it had no objection to the ownership of the South Kuril Islands, and it was later that the United States made hard work behind it to control Japan. After the 1970s, the South Kuril Islands issue became the biggest obstacle between Japan and the Soviet Union, Japan and Russia, and the United States used this “one peach to kill two people”, which not only separated Japan-Russia relations, but also controlled Japan.
Whenever Japan is disobedient, or needs Japan to cooperate with the United States against the Soviet Union (Russia), Washington will provoke this contradiction between Japan and Russia. The South Kuril Islands have also become an ulcer between Japan and Russia. They have been rotten and will never be cured. Although both Japan and Russia know that this is a conspiracy by the United States, no one can think of a solution.
The Soviet Union has made efforts to this end, but ultimately failed. Back then, the Soviet Union agreed to exchange some of the islands for the signing of the Japan-Russia peace agreement, but only if Japan wanted to get rid of the control of the United States. Obviously, the habitually domineering Soviet Union extended this olive branch to separate Japan-US relations, but the control of the United States over Japan made the Soviet Union’s counter-intuitive return without success.
After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Japan also had the opportunity to reclaim some of the islands, but Tokyo’s appetite was too great, and it was judged that Russia would eventually collapse, and the Southern Kuril Islands would have to return to Japan sooner or later, so it did not agree to Russia’s proposal. Perhaps it is in this moment of change that Japan may forever miss some of the islands in the Southern Kuril Islands.
Now Russia has made it clear that it has no intention of returning to the Southern Kuril Islands. When Putin attended an international conference in China that year, Russia had given Japan the opportunity to reclaim some of the islands, but the Japanese side did not take it well, and there will be no such opportunity in the future.
It stands to reason that during the presidential handover period, stability is generally the focus, and even if there are problems, the new president will be handled. When Trump was about to leave office, the United States made a big move on the South Kuril Islands issue, making U.S.-Russian relations even more tense. The reason is the same as that of his ruining Sino-U.S. relations, which is to set the rules for Biden.
Before Trump left office, he planted landmines on China-Russia, China-US, and the Middle East issues, and some of them were fixed in the form of bills. After Biden took the stage, even if he wanted to do something about these issues, it would be very difficult. After all, the Senate is now in the hands of the Republicans.
Regarding the provocation of the Trump administration, the Russians are still just as usual. In the United States, I will do the fifteenth in the first year of junior high school, and it is a revenge. Of course, it is impossible for both parties to materially harm each other, but this move has planted the seeds of hatred between the two countries and their nationals, and will provide an incentive for dangerous conflicts in the future.
Kind of good cause does not necessarily produce good results, but kind of evil cause will definitely produce evil results. Trump has planted too many evil causes, and the United States will be retributed as soon as possible.
