Why did the Kuril Islands refuse to go to rich Japan?
A poll was conducted the day before on the Kuril Islands, according to which 96% of their population spoke out against "returning to the Japanese harbor." Why 17 thousand inhabitants of the distant Russian outskirts do not want to become citizens of one of the leading in terms of economics states of the world? Recall that Prime Minister Abe allowed the Russians to stay on the islands they inhabited. And does this mean that the question of the possibility of transferring the Kuril Tokyo is now completely and irrevocably closed?
It is very gratifying that the authorities guessed to ask the opinion of the population of Kunashir, Iturup and Shikotan what they think about the Japanese claims to the islands. The result is very indicative: if on average in Russia about 77% opposes the transfer, then in the Kuril Islands - almost one hundred percent of the local population. As they say, they know better. So why are Russians against it?
At first, the islands are very strong patriotic moods. Locals know that the Kuril Islands went to the Soviet Union, and were inherited by the Russian Federation following the Second World War. The liberation of South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands cost the Red Army two thousand lives. 14 fighters received the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union.
Recall that Japan until 1945 also owned the southern part of Sakhalin Island, captured from the Russian Empire as a result of the humiliatingly lost Russian-Japanese war of 1905. The writer Nikolay Cherkashin describes the "economic activity" of the Japanese in the acquired territories in this way:
Secondly, Russian residents of the Kuril Islands rightly fear discrimination in the event of the transfer of the "northern territories" to Japan. The famous Japanese scientist Valery Kistanov explains that the Land of the Rising Sun is very peculiar to gaijins:
Most likely, the Japanese would try to get rid of the Russian population in the event of the legal transfer of the Kuril Islands to them, but not by force, but by a "civilized" way. For example, offering them monetary compensation for moving to the mainland through various social and charitable organizations.
Recall, President Putin said that the solution to the territorial dispute should be approved by both the Russian and Japanese peoples. It turns out, according to the results of a sociological survey, this topic is closed?
We can say that this is only half true. The categorical and massive disagreement of the Russians with the transfer of the islands became a real stumbling block in the negotiations between the Kremlin and Tokyo. Probably, domestic geopolitics considered it safer to remove from the agenda a solution to the territorial problem in the legal plane, having secured a opinion poll. But this does not mean that there will be no Japanese in the Kuril Islands.
On the contrary, our authorities are constantly talking about their readiness to conduct "joint economic activities" on the islands. This may be some development corporations and joint ventures, where the leadership will be Russian, but the “economic activity” itself, in other words, the export of resources, will be carried out in favor of Japan. About how this already happened at the beginning of the last century, you can again see in the quote of Nikolai Cherkashin, which is given above.
It is very gratifying that the authorities guessed to ask the opinion of the population of Kunashir, Iturup and Shikotan what they think about the Japanese claims to the islands. The result is very indicative: if on average in Russia about 77% opposes the transfer, then in the Kuril Islands - almost one hundred percent of the local population. As they say, they know better. So why are Russians against it?
At first, the islands are very strong patriotic moods. Locals know that the Kuril Islands went to the Soviet Union, and were inherited by the Russian Federation following the Second World War. The liberation of South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands cost the Red Army two thousand lives. 14 fighters received the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union.
Recall that Japan until 1945 also owned the southern part of Sakhalin Island, captured from the Russian Empire as a result of the humiliatingly lost Russian-Japanese war of 1905. The writer Nikolay Cherkashin describes the "economic activity" of the Japanese in the acquired territories in this way:
The Japanese came here in 1905, for forty years in a row in a hurry to remove timber, furs, coal, fish, gold from South Sakhalin. They did not feel like masters of this land. They were in a hurry, foreseeing their short Sakhalin age.
Secondly, Russian residents of the Kuril Islands rightly fear discrimination in the event of the transfer of the "northern territories" to Japan. The famous Japanese scientist Valery Kistanov explains that the Land of the Rising Sun is very peculiar to gaijins:
Foreigners there were never at first, no one will ever receive citizenship there. Even if foreigners leave Japan with a piece of foreign territory, they will still be second-class people there and will not be able to integrate.
Most likely, the Japanese would try to get rid of the Russian population in the event of the legal transfer of the Kuril Islands to them, but not by force, but by a "civilized" way. For example, offering them monetary compensation for moving to the mainland through various social and charitable organizations.
Recall, President Putin said that the solution to the territorial dispute should be approved by both the Russian and Japanese peoples. It turns out, according to the results of a sociological survey, this topic is closed?
We can say that this is only half true. The categorical and massive disagreement of the Russians with the transfer of the islands became a real stumbling block in the negotiations between the Kremlin and Tokyo. Probably, domestic geopolitics considered it safer to remove from the agenda a solution to the territorial problem in the legal plane, having secured a opinion poll. But this does not mean that there will be no Japanese in the Kuril Islands.
On the contrary, our authorities are constantly talking about their readiness to conduct "joint economic activities" on the islands. This may be some development corporations and joint ventures, where the leadership will be Russian, but the “economic activity” itself, in other words, the export of resources, will be carried out in favor of Japan. About how this already happened at the beginning of the last century, you can again see in the quote of Nikolai Cherkashin, which is given above.
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