Japanese tourists will travel to the disputed South Kuril Islands in Russia on a visa-free exchange basis onboard a new boat, the Etopirika, on Tuesday, an organizer said.
Visa-free exchanges between Japan and the South Kurils, the subject of a territorial dispute between Russia and Japan, began in 1992 as part of a deal to improve ties between the countries. Most of these visitors are environmentalists, museum staff, doctors and medical patients. This year the boat will be at least twice as big as its predecessor.
“This time the group will include only 36 people out of 84 that the boat can place because this will be a test trip for Etopirika,” organizer Fumiyoshi Sato said. “This is why the agenda has been shrunk and will not include meetings and debates with locals.”
Between April 1992 and January 2011, a total of 18,425 Japanese people visited the South Kuril Islands of Kunashir, Shikotan, Iturup and Habomai. Last year alone, 837 Japanese and 336 Russians traveled on the visa-free exchange to Japan and Russia.
This year 11 groups from Japan are expected to visit to the islands and seven Russian groups will go to Japan.
The new boat Etopirika, named after the birds living in the area between Hokkaido and the Kurils, will be 50 percent faster than its predecessor and better equipped for disabled passengers.
