Russia is expecting Japan to review its position over the South Kuril Islands, which has hampered relations between the two states, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman has said.
The statement came after the Japanese government approved on Thursday further steps aimed at promoting the country's claims over the four islands of the chain to the northeast of Japan, which had been annexed by the Soviet Union after World War II.
The issue has so far prevented Russia and Japan from signing a formal peace treaty to end WWII hostilities. Japan maintains the seizure of the islands by the Soviet Union was illegal.
In a statement posted on the Foreign Ministry's website, Andrei Nesterenko said Japan's move showed that Tokyo was seeking to "highlight controversial and quite sensitive issues of relations with Russia."
"It is clear that the continuation of groundless territorial claims towards Russia cannot benefit the dialogue on the issue of signing a Russian-Japanese peace treaty, as well as the maintaining of normal contacts between the South Kuril Islands, which are part of Russia's Sakhalin region, and Japan," the statement said.
MOSCOW, April 1 (RIA Novosti)
