According to Lavrov, Japan accepts the outcomes of the war except for the matter of the Kuril Islands, despite a UN Charter which protects the post-war order from possible revisions by former Axis powers.
Specifically, it reads that "Nothing in the present Charter shall invalidate or preclude action, in relation to any state which during the Second World War has been an enemy of any signatory to the present Charter, taken or authorized as a result of that war by the Governments having responsibility for such action."
In 1956, Moscow and Tokyo agreed that the issue can only be settled only after the establishment of normal diplomatic relations. However, the two countries have still not signed a peace agreement.
In February, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to reclaim the islands.
