Kurile Islands. History, photos, volcanoes, population, climate, nature of the Kuril Islands. Plants, animals, geography, relief of the Kuril Islands. History of the Kuril Islands. The Kuril Islands in the history of Russian-Japanese relations

On the border of the Pacific Ocean and its Sea of ​​Okhotsk, located between the island of Hokkaido (Japan) and the Kamchatka Peninsula; the territory of Russia (Sakhalin region). Includes more than 30 relatively large islands, many small islands and separate rocks. The total area is 15.6 thousand km. It consists of two parallel ridges of islands (representing the tops of powerful underwater ridges) - the Great Kuril ridge, stretched for 1200 km, and bordering its southern tip from the east of the Lesser Kuril ridge (120 km), separated by the South Kuril Strait. The northern continuation of the Lesser Kuril Ridge is the underwater Vityaz Ridge. Kurile Islands separated by the Kuril straits. Deep straits - Kruzenshterna and Bussol divide the Great Range into 3 groups of islands: northern (Shumshu, Atlasova, Paramushir, Makanrushi, Avos, Onekotan, Harimkotan, Chirinkotan, Ekarma, Shiashkotan, Lovushki rock group), Rasnaya , the group of islands of the Middle and Ushishir, Ketoy, Simushir) and the southern (Broughton Islands, Black Brothers, Urup, Iturup - the largest of the Kuril Islands, Kunashir). The Small Kuril Ridge includes 6 islands (Shikotan, Polonsky, Zeleny, Yuri, Anuchina, Tanfilieva) and 2 groups of rocks. The shores of the Kuril Islands are mostly steep or terraced, on the isthmuses - low sandy. There are few well-sheltered bays.

Relief and geological structure. The Kuril Islands are dominated by low- and medium-mountainous relief (altitude from 500 to 1300 m, maximum - 2339 m, Alaid volcano). Near the top of this volcano there is a small glacier, unique for the Kuril Islands. Only Shumshu Island and most of the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge are flat (heights up to 412 m on Shikotan Island). In total, there are over 100 land-based volcanoes on the Kuril Islands, of which about 30 are considered active. The most active volcanoes are Alaid (9 eruptions over the past 200 years), Sarycheva volcano, Fussa. Less active are: Severgina volcano, Sinarka, Raikoke, Kudryavy, Ebeko, Nemo, Kuntomintar, Ekarma, Pallasa, Mendeleev volcano. There are 5 main morphogenetic types of relief: volcanic terrestrial, erosion-denudation, marine (abrasion and accumulative), seismotectonic and aeolian. Most of the islands have volcanic terrestrial relief with single volcanic cones, volcanic ridges and massifs connected by reclaimed isthmuses. In the coastal part of the islands, there are 6-7 levels of sea terraces (height from 2-3 m to 200 m). Volcanic massifs and sea terraces have been prepared and dissected by erosion-denudation processes, the intensity and depth of action of which depend on the duration of the stage of land development. The aeolian and seismotectonic types of relief on the islands are of subordinate importance. In the Middle and Late Pleistocene, the Kuril Islands underwent two glaciations. It is assumed that during the periods of maximum development of glaciers, when the level of the World Ocean dropped significantly, the Paramushir and Shumshu islands formed a single whole with Kamchatka, and Kunashir and the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge were connected with Sakhalin, Hokkaido and the mainland.

The Kuril Islands are a typical island-arc volcanic belt formed over the underthrust (subduction) zone of the Pacific lithospheric plate in the Kuril-Kamchatka deep-water trench. The Great Kuril Ridge is composed of a complex of Oligocene-Quaternary volcanic and volcanic-clastic rocks (composition from basalts to rhyolites, with andesite predominance). The Small Kuril Ridge is formed mainly by Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene volcanic-detrital rocks of andesite-basaltic composition of underwater origin, which are slightly deformed and overlain by Pliocene-Quaternary terrestrial lavas. Modern terrestrial volcanism manifests itself only in the Great Kuril Ridge. The Kuril Islands and the adjacent part of the Pacific Ocean floor are a zone of intense seismicity and high tsunami hazard. Strong earthquakes occurred in 1958 (magnitude 8.3; caused a tsunami), 1963 (8.5), 2002 (7.3), 2006 (8.3), 2007 (8.1), 2009 (7.4). There are known deposits of sulfur (Novoe on Iturup Island), thermal waters, ore occurrences of mercury, copper, tin, and gold.

Climate. The Kuril Islands have a temperate maritime climate, cold. It is mainly influenced by baric systems that form over the cold waters of the North Pacific Ocean, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the cold Kuril Current. Above the southern group of islands, the features of the monsoon circulation of the atmosphere, in particular, the action of the winter Asian anticyclone, are manifested in a weakened form. The heat supply of the landscapes of the Kuril Islands is two to three times lower than at the corresponding latitudes in the central part of the continent. Average winter temperatures on all islands are approximately the same and range from -5 to -7 ° C. During the winter, thaws, prolonged heavy snowfalls and blizzards, and constant cloudiness are often observed. Summer temperatures range from 16 ° C in the south to 10 ° C in the north. One of the main factors determining summer temperatures is the nature of hydrological circulation in coastal waters. Near the islands of the northern and middle groups, even in August, the temperature of coastal waters does not exceed 5-6 ° C, therefore, these islands are characterized by the lowest summer air temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere (at the corresponding latitudes). During the year, the islands receive up to 1000-1400 mm of precipitation, relatively evenly distributed over the seasons. Humidification is everywhere excessive; in the south, precipitation exceeds evaporation by almost 400 mm. Average monthly air humidity in the second half of summer reaches 90-97%, which causes frequent dense fogs. At the same time, the Kuril Islands are under the influence of tropical cyclones (sometimes typhoons), accompanied by heavy rainfall.

Surface water... There are many rivers and streams on the large islands, which is explained by a significant amount of precipitation, high air humidity, and the mountainous nature of the relief, contributing to vigorous runoff and the formation of valleys. The water in some streams is mineralized. Mineralized springs of different temperatures are often found. Small island volcanoes are often dry. There are many small lakes, including volcanic (crater, solfatar, lava-pond), lagoon, starichny, and others. The low flat islands of the Small Kuril Ridge are very swampy.

Types of landscapes. A characteristic feature of the landscapes of the Kuril Islands is a small number of dominant species in phytocenoses. In total, 1367 plant species were found in the flora, but no more than 100 species are widespread, and there are no more than 20 species of plants that create the main background in landscapes. The soils on the islands are predominantly volcanic, soddy and alluvial; under forests, they are slightly podzolic. The significant length of the island ridge from north to south determines the allocation of several landscape zones within its limits, associated with different heat supply.

In the northern group of islands, dwarf-tundra landscapes are formed, the harsh climate determines their rather simple structure. The lower parts of the slopes are occupied by rugged thickets of alder and cedar elfin, above 300-400 m they are replaced by heather tundra from small low shrubs (shiksha, alpine bearberry, blueberry, golden rhododendron, etc.), on the summit surfaces of volcanic ridges among rocks are presented tundra communities. The exception is the highly swampy island of Shumshu. Most of the islands of the middle group are located in the zone of distribution of stone birch forests. Stone birch is the only tree species that can withstand the harsh climatic conditions this part of the Kuril Islands.

The southern group of islands belongs to the zone of mixed coniferous-deciduous forests. The forest cover of Iturup Island is 80%, Kunashir Island - 61%. A warmer climate determines the formation of unusual vegetation here: the first tier is formed by dark conifers (Sakhalin fir and Ayan spruce), the second - by thermophilic broad-leaved species (oaks, elms, ash, dimorph, etc.), the undergrowth is formed by dense thickets of subtropical bamboo. On the island of Kunashir, even magnolia and a velvet tree have been found in such forests. This combination is found on Earth only on a few islands in the North Pacific Ocean. Landscapes of deciduous and mixed forests usually occupy the lower parts of the slopes of volcanic ridges (up to 400 m), higher - dark coniferous spruce-fir taiga, which is replaced first by stone birch forests, then by elfin and heath tundra. At the tops of volcanoes (altitude over 1000 m), sparse vegetation of loaches with numerous rocky outcrops prevails. Grass-forb meadows and bamboo thickets are widespread on the sea terraces. Along the river valleys, in the lower parts of the slopes, where the soils are provided with nutrients and moisture, thickets of large grasses are characteristic, consisting of Sakhalin buckwheat, hellebore, angelica bear, etc. Monodominant bamboo forests are usually formed in the place of the cleared forests - continuous and almost impenetrable thickets of bamboo, 4 meters high.

The landscapes of the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk of the southern group of islands are much richer in biodiversity than the landscapes of the Pacific coast. This is due to the warming influence of the Soya Current, which significantly softens the climate of the western coast.

The state of the environment and protected natural areas. The nature of the Kuril Islands as a whole is slightly changed. Modern anthropogenic disturbances are localized near a few settlements. There are old developments of minerals (sulfur, etc.). Most of the islands have no permanent population.

The uniqueness of the island nature (overlapping of the areas of boreal and subtropical species of flora and fauna, large concentrations of marine mammals and colonial birds, active volcanism) has led to a fairly developed network of protected natural areas... Organized by Kuril reserve, federal reserve Small Kuriles, regional reserves Ostrovnoy (Iturup island) and Craternaya Bay (Yankicha island in the middle group of islands); 15 regional and local natural monuments. Large cities - Severo-Kurilsk, Kurilsk.

Lit .: South Kuril Islands. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, 1992; Vegetable and animal world Kuril Islands. Vladivostok, 2002; Physical Geography Handbook Sakhalin region... Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, 2003; Atlas of the Kuril Islands. M .; Vladivostok, 2009.

Briefly, the history of the "belonging" of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island is as follows.

1.In the period 1639-1649 g... Russian Cossack detachments led by Moskovitinov, Kolobov, Popov examined and began to develop Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. At the same time, Russian pioneers repeatedly swim to the island of Hokkaido, where they are peacefully greeted by the local aborigines of the Ainu people. The Japanese appeared on this island a century later, after which they exterminated and partially assimilated the Ainu..

2.B 1701 Mr. Vladimir Atlasov, a Cossack sergeant, reported to Peter I about the “subordination” of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands to the Russian crown, leading to the “wonderful kingdom of Nipon”.

3.B 1786 g... by order of Catherine II, a register of Russian possessions was made on Pacific bringing the register to the attention of all European states as a declaration of Russia's rights to these possessions, including Sakhalin and the Kuriles.

4.B 1792 g... By the decree of Catherine II, the entire ridge of the Kuril Islands (both Northern and Southern), as well as Sakhalin Island officially included in the Russian Empire.

5.As a result of Russia's defeat in the Crimean War 1854—1855 biennium under pressure England and France Russia forced was concluded with Japan on February 7, 1855. Shimoda Treaty, through which the four southern islands of the Kuril ridge were transferred to Japan: Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup. Sakhalin remained undivided between Russia and Japan. At the same time, however, the right of Russian ships to enter Japanese ports was recognized, and "permanent peace and sincere friendship between Japan and Russia" was proclaimed.

6.May 7, 1875 g. according to the Petersburg treaty, the tsarist government as a very strange act of "goodwill" goes to incomprehensible further territorial concessions to Japan and transfers it to 18 more small islands of the archipelago. In return, Japan finally recognized Russia's right to the whole of Sakhalin. It is for this agreement most of all are referred to by the Japanese today, slyly silent that the first article of this treaty reads: "... eternal peace and friendship between Russia and Japan will continue to be established" ( the Japanese themselves violated this treaty in the XX century repeatedly). Many Russian statesmen of those years sharply condemned this "exchange" agreement as short-sighted and harmful for the future of Russia, comparing it with the same short-sightedness as the sale of Alaska to the United States of America in 1867 for a pittance (7 billion 200 million dollars). ), - saying that "now we bite our own elbows."

7.After the Russo-Japanese War 1904—1905 biennium followed the next stage of humiliation of Russia... By Portsmouth the peace treaty concluded on September 5, 1905, Japan received the southern part of Sakhalin, all the Kuril Islands, and also took away the lease right from Russia for naval bases Port Arthur and Dalny... When did Russian diplomats remind the Japanese that all these provisions contradict the treaty of 1875 g, - those arrogantly and impudently answered : « War negates all treaties. You have been defeated and let's proceed from the current situation ". Reader, remember this boastful declaration of the invader!

8. Next, the time comes to punish the aggressor for his eternal greed and territorial expansion. Signed by Stalin and Roosevelt at the Yalta Conference February 10, 1945 G. " Agreement on the Far East"Provided:" ... 2-3 months after the surrender of Germany, the Soviet Union will enter the war against Japan subject to the return to the Soviet Union of the southern part of Sakhalin, all the Kuril Islands, as well as the restoration of the lease of Port Arthur and Dalny(these built and equipped by the hands of Russian workers, soldiers and sailors back in late XIX- early XX centuries. very comfortable in their own way geographic location naval bases were donated to "brotherly" China... But these bases were so necessary for our fleet in the 60-80s of the rampant "cold war" and intense combat service of the fleet in remote areas of the Pacific and Indian oceans... It was necessary to equip the Cam Ranh forward base in Vietnam for the fleet from scratch).

9.In July 1945 according to The Potsdam Declaration heads of victorious countries the following verdict was adopted regarding the future of Japan: "The sovereignty of Japan will be limited to four islands: Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu and those that WE DESIGNATE." August 14, 1945 the Japanese government broadcasted its acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration, and September 2 Japan surrenders unconditionally... Article 6 of the Act of Surrender states: “... the Japanese government and its successors will honestly comply with the terms of the Potsdam Declaration , to give those orders and take those actions that, in order to implement this declaration, will be required by the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Powers ... ". January 29, 1946 The Commander-in-Chief, General MacArthur, by his directive No. 677, DEMANDED: "The Kuril Islands, including Habomai and Shikotan, are excluded from the jurisdiction of Japan." AND only after that legal action was issued by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 2, 1946, which read: “ All lands, bowels and waters of Sakhalin and the Kul Islands are the property of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ". Thus, the Kuril Islands (both North and South), as well as about. Sakhalin, legally and were returned to Russia in accordance with international law ... This could put an end to the "problem" of the South Kuriles and stop all further words. But the story with the Kurils continues.

10 after the end of World War II USA occupied Japan and turned it into their military foothold on Far East... In september 1951 the USA, Great Britain and a number of other states (49 in total) signed San Francisco Peace Treaty with Japan prepared by in violation of the Potsdam agreements without the participation of the Soviet Union ... Therefore, our government did not join the agreement. Nevertheless, in Art. 2, Chapter II of this treaty is written in black and white: “ Japan renounces all legal grounds and claims ... to the Kuril Islands and that part of Sakhalin and adjacent islands , over which Japan acquired sovereignty under the Treaty of Portsmouth of September 5, 1905 ”. However, even after that, the story with the Kurils does not end.

October 11.19 1956 The government of the Soviet Union, following the principles of friendship with neighboring states, signed with the Japanese government joint declaration according to which the state of war between the USSR and Japan ended and peace, good-neighborliness and friendly relations were restored between them. When signing the Declaration as a gesture of goodwill and no more it was promised to transfer to Japan the two southernmost islands of Shikotan and Habomai, but only after the conclusion of a peace treaty between the countries.

12.However The United States imposed a number of military agreements on Japan after 1956 replaced in 1960 by a single "Treaty on Mutual Cooperation and Security", according to which the US troops remained on its territory, and thus the Japanese islands turned into a springboard for aggression against the Soviet Union. In connection with this situation, the Soviet government announced to Japan that it was impossible to transfer the promised two islands to it.... And in the same statement it was emphasized that according to the declaration of October 19, 1956, "peace, good-neighborliness and friendly relations" between the countries have been established. Therefore, an additional peace treaty may not be required.
Thus, the problem of the South Kuriles does not exist ... It was solved long ago. AND de jure and de facto the islands belong to Russia ... In this regard, it might be necessary remind the Japanese of their arrogant statement in 1905 g., and also indicate that Japan was defeated in World War II and therefore has no rights to any territory, even to her ancestral lands, except for those that were bestowed upon her by the victors.
AND our Foreign Ministry just as tough, or in a softer diplomatic form I should have said this to the Japanese and put an end to it, FOREVER ending all negotiations and even conversations on this non-existent and humiliating problem of Russia's dignity and authority.
And again the "territorial question"

However, starting with 1991 the city, the President meets repeatedly Yeltsin and members of the Russian government, diplomats with Japanese government circles, during which the Japanese side annoyingly raises the issue of the "northern Japanese territories" every time.
So, in the Tokyo Declaration 1993 g., signed by the President of Russia and the Prime Minister of Japan, was again acknowledged that there is a territorial issue, and both sides promised to "make an effort" to resolve it. The question arises - really our diplomats could not but know that such declarations should not be signed, because the recognition of the existence of a "territorial issue" contradicts the national interests of Russia (Art. 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation " Treason»)??

As for the peace treaty with Japan, it is de facto and de jure in accordance with the Soviet-Japanese declaration of October 19, 1956. not really needed... The Japanese do not want to conclude an additional official peace treaty, and it is not necessary. He Japan needs more as the side that was defeated in the Second World War, rather than Russia.

A citizens of Russia should know, the "problem" of the South Kuriles , her exaggeration, the periodic hype in the media around her and the litigation of the Japanese - there is consequence of Japan's illegal claims in violation of its obligations to strictly comply with the international obligations it has recognized and signed. And such a constant desire of Japan to reconsider the ownership of many territories in the Asia-Pacific region permeates Japanese politics throughout the twentieth century.

Why the Japanese, one might say, grabbed their teeth in the South Kurils and are trying to illegally take possession of them again? But because the economic and military-strategic importance of this region is extremely great both for Japan and even more so for Russia. it region of colossal seafood riches(fish, animals, marine animals, vegetation, etc.), deposits of minerals, moreover, rare-earth minerals, energy sources, mineral raw materials.

For example, on January 29 of this year. in the program "Vesti" (RTR) a short information slipped: on the island of Iturup, large deposit of rare earth metal Rhenium(The 75th element in the periodic table, and the only one in the world ).
Scientists allegedly calculated that for the development of this field, it is enough to invest only 35 thousand dollars, but the profit from the extraction of this metal will allow to bring the whole of Russia out of the crisis in 3-4 years ... Apparently the Japanese know about this and that is why they are so persistently attacking the Russian government with the demand to give them the islands.

I must say that over 50 years of ownership of the islands, the Japanese have not built or created anything capital on them, except for light temporary buildings... Our border guards had to rebuild barracks and other buildings at the outposts. All the economic "development" of the islands, about which the Japanese are shouting to the whole world today, consisted of in a predatory plunder of the wealth of the islands ... During the Japanese "development" from the islands seal rookeries, sea otter habitats disappeared ... Part of the livestock of these animals have already been restored by our residents of Kuril .

Today the economic situation of this entire island zone, as well as of the whole of Russia, is difficult. Of course, significant measures are needed to support this region and take care of Kuril residents. According to the calculations of a group of State Duma deputies on the islands, as reported in the program Parliamentary Hour (RTR) on January 31 of this year, only fish products up to 2000 tons per year, with a net profit of about $ 3 billion.
Militarily, the ridge of the Northern and Southern Kuriles with Sakhalin constitutes a complete closed infrastructure of the strategic defense of the Far East and the Pacific Fleet. They enclose the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and turn it into an internal one. This is the district deployment and combat positions of our strategic submarines.

Without the South Kuriles, we will get a "hole" in this defense... Control over the Kuril Islands ensures the free exit of the fleet to the ocean, since before 1945 our Pacific Fleet, starting from 1905, was practically locked up in its bases in Primorye. Detection means on the islands provide long-range detection of air and surface enemies, organization of anti-submarine defense of approaches to the passages between the islands.

In conclusion, such a feature should be noted in the relationship between the Russia-Japan-USA triangle. It is the United States that confirms the "legitimacy" of the islands belonging to Japan , in spite of all international treaties signed by them .
If this is so, then our Foreign Ministry has every right, in response to the claims of the Japanese, to propose to them to demand the return of Japan to its "southern territories" - the Caroline, Marshall and Mariana Islands.
These archipelagos former colonies Germany, captured by Japan in 1914... Japanese domination over these islands was sanctioned by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. After the defeat of Japan, all these archipelagos came under US control.... So why shouldn't Japan demand that the United States return the islands to it? Or the spirit is lacking?
As you can see, there is Japan's clear double standard of foreign policy.

And one more fact that clarifies the general picture of the return of our Far Eastern territories in September 1945 and the military significance of this region. The Kuril operation of the 2nd Far Eastern Front and the Pacific Fleet (18.08 - 1.09.1945) provided for the liberation of all the Kuril Islands and the capture of Hokkaido.

The annexation of this island to Russia would have an important operational and strategic importance, since it would ensure the complete isolation of the "fencing" of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk by our island territories: the Kuriles - Hokkaido - Sakhalin. But Stalin canceled this part of the operation, saying that with the liberation of the Kuriles and Sakhalin, we had resolved all our territorial issues in the Far East. A we don’t need foreign land ... In addition, the capture of Hokkaido will cost us a lot of blood, unnecessary losses of sailors and paratroopers in the very last days of the war.

Stalin here showed himself to be a real statesman who cares about the country and its soldiers, and not an invader, looking for foreign territories that were very accessible in that situation for seizure.

On the issue of Japan's claims to our Kuriles

Over and over again Japanese politicians "put pressure on the pedal", initiating conversations with Moscow about the fact that, they say, "it's time to return the Northern Territories to the Japanese masters."

We didn’t react much to this Tokyo hysteria before, but now it seems we need to respond.

To begin with - a picture with text, which is better than any analytical articles. Japan's real position the hour she was the winner Russia. Now they whine porking, but as soon as they feel their strength, they immediately begin to play the "king of the hill":

Japan took away a hundred years ago our Russian lands- half of Sakhalin and all the Kuril Islands as a result of Russia's defeat in the 1905 war. Since that time, the famous song "On the Hills of Manchuria" has remained, which to this day in Russia reminds of the bitterness of that defeat.

However, times have changed, and Japan itself has become defeatist in World War II, which personally started against China, Korea and other Asian countries. And, overestimating its strength, Japan even attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor in December 1941 - after that, the United States entered the war against Japan and its ally Hitler. Yes Yes, Japan was Hitler's ally, but they hardly remember that today. Why? To whom has history become displeasing in the West?

As a result of its own military disaster, Japan signed the "Act of unconditional surrender"(!), where in text clearly states that "We hereby pledge that the Japanese Government and its successors will honestly fulfill the terms." Potsdam Declaration". And in that “ Potsdam Declaration"It is specified that" Japanese sovereignty will be limited to the islands Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and those smaller islands that we indicate". And where are the "northern territories" that the Japanese demand "back" from Moscow? In general, what territorial claims against Russia can we talk about in Japan, which deliberately went on aggression in alliance with Hitler?

- While treating purely negatively any transfer of any islands to Japan, it is still fair to clarify for the sake of justice: the tactics of recent years, which are perfectly clear to professionals, is as follows - not to deny the backhand promised by the previous authorities, to speak only about the fidelity of the 1956 Declaration, that is, only about Habomai and Shikotane, thereby excluding from the problematic Kunashir and Iturup, which appeared under pressure from Japan in the negotiations in the mid-90s, and, finally, accompany the words about the "fidelity" of the Declaration with such formulations that today strictly do not coincide with the position of Japan.

- The declaration assumed first the conclusion of a peace treaty and only then the "transfer" of the two islands. The transfer is an act of goodwill, a readiness to dispose of one's own territory "in accordance with the wishes of Japan and taking into account the interests of the Japanese state." Japan, on the other hand, insists that "return" should precede the peace treaty, because the very concept of "return" is a recognition of the illegality of their belonging to the USSR, as is a revision not only of the very results of the Second World War, but also of the principle of the inviolability of these results.

- Satisfaction of Japanese claims for the "return" of the islands would mean a direct undermining of the principle of indisputability of the results of the Second World War and would open up the possibility of questioning other aspects of the territorial status quo as well.

- Japan's "complete and unconditional surrender" is fundamentally different from simple surrender in terms of legal, political and historical implications. Simple “surrender” means an admission of defeat in hostilities and does not affect the international legal personality of the defeated power, no matter what losses it incurs. Such a state retains its sovereignty and legal personality and itself, as a legal party, negotiates the terms of peace. "Complete and unconditional surrender" means the termination of the existence of the subject of international relations, the dismantling of the former state as a political institution, its loss of sovereignty and all power powers, which are transferred to the victorious powers, which themselves determine the conditions of peace and the post-war order and settlement.

- In the case of "complete and unconditional surrender" with Japan, then Japan retained the former emperor, which is used to assert that Japan's legal personality was not interrupted. However, in reality, the source of the preservation of the imperial power is different - it is will and decision of the Winners.

- US Secretary of State J. Byrnes pointed out to V. Molotov: "Japan's position does not stand up to criticism that it cannot consider itself bound by the Yalta agreements, since it was not a party to them." Today's Japan is a post-war state, and the settlement can proceed solely from the post-war international legal basis, especially since only this basis has legal force.

- In the "Soviet-Japanese Declaration of October 19, 1956", the USSR's readiness to "transfer" the islands of Habomai and Shikotan to Japan was recorded, but only after the conclusion of the Peace Treaty. It is not about "return", but about "transfer", that is, about the willingness to dispose of the quality act of goodwill its territory, which does not create a precedent for revising the outcome of the war.

- The United States exerted direct pressure on Japan during the Soviet-Japanese negotiations in 1956 and did not stop before an ultimatum: The United States said that in the event that Japan signs a "Peace Treaty" with the USSR, in which it agrees to recognize South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands as part of the territory of the USSR, " The United States will keep the Ryukyu Islands in its possession forever "(Okinawa).

- The signing of the "Soviet-Japanese Declaration", according to N. Khrushchev, was supposed to deter Japan from concluding an agreement on military cooperation with the United States. However, such an agreement between Tokyo and Washington followed on January 19, 1960, and it was indefinite the stay of the American armed forces on the Japanese territory.

- On January 27, 1960, the Soviet government announced "a change in circumstances" and warned that "only on the condition of the withdrawal of all foreign troops from the territory of Japan and the signing of the Peace Treaty between the USSR and Japan, the islands of Habomai and Shikotan will be transferred to Japan."

These are the considerations about the Japanese "Wishlist".

Kuriles: not four bare islands

Recently, the "question" of the South Kuriles has been discussed again. The disinformation media are carrying out the task of the current government - to convince the people that we do not need these islands. The obvious is hushed up: after the transfer of the South Kuriles to Japan Russia will lose a third of its fish, our Pacific Fleet will be locked up and will not get free access to the Pacific Ocean, it will be necessary to revise the entire border system in the east of the country etc. As a geologist who has worked in the Far East, Sakhalin for 35 years, who has been to the South Kurils more than once, I am especially outraged by the lie about the "four naked islands" supposedly representing the South Kuriles.

Let's start with the fact that the South Kuriles are not 4 islands. They include about. Kunashir, O. Iturup and all the islands of the Lesser Kuril ridge... The latter includes Fr. Shikotan(182 sq. Km), about. Green(69 sq. Km), about. Polonsky(15 sq. Km), about. Tanfilieva(8 sq. Km), about. Yuri(7 sq. Km), about. Anuchina(3 sq. Km) and many smaller islands: about. Demina, O. Shards, O. Watchdog, O. Signal other. And to the island Shikotan usually include islands Grieg and Aivazovsky... The total area of ​​the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge is about 300 sq. km, and all the islands of the South Kuriles - more than 8500 sq. km... What the Japanese, and after them "our" democrats and some diplomats, call an island Habo mai, Is about 20 islands.

The bowels of the Southern Kuriles contain a large complex of minerals. Its leading elements are gold and silver, the deposits of which are explored on the island. Kunashir. Here, at the Prasolovskoye field, in some areas the content gold reaches a kilogram or more, silver- up to 5 kg per ton of rock. The predicted resources of the North Kunashir ore cluster alone amount to 475 tonnes of gold and 2,160 tonnes of silver (these and many other figures are taken from the book "Mineral and Raw Materials Base of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands at the Turn of the Third Millennium" published by the Sakhalin Book Publishing House last year). But, apart from Fr. Kunashir, other islands of the South Kuriles are also promising for gold and silver.

In the same Kunashir, polymetallic ores are known (Valentinovskoye deposit), in which the content zinc reaches 14%, copper - up to 4%, gold- up to 2 g / t, silver- up to 200 g / t, barium- up to 30%, strontium- until 3 %. Stocks zinc are 18 thousand tons, copper- 5 thousand tons. On the islands of Kunashir and Iturup there are several ilmenite-magnetite placers with a high gland(up to 53%), titanium(up to 8%) and higher concentrations vanadium... Such raw materials are suitable for the production of high-grade vanadium cast iron. In the late 60s, Japan offered to buy Kuril ilmenite-magnetite sands. Is it because of the high vanadium content? But in those years, not everything was bought and sold, there were values ​​more expensive than money, and transactions were not always accelerated by bribes.

Of particular note is the recently discovered rich ore accumulations in the South Kuriles. rhenium, which goes to parts of supersonic aircraft and missiles, protects metal from corrosion and wear. These ores are modern volcanic drifts. The ore continues to accumulate. It is estimated that only one Kudryavy volcano on the island. Iturup produces 2.3 tons of rhenium per year. In some places, the content of this valuable metal in the ore reaches 200 g / t. Will we give it to the Japanese too?

We will single out deposits from non-metallic minerals sulfur... Today this raw material is one of the most scarce in our country. Volcanic sulfur deposits have long been known in the Kuriles. The Japanese have developed it in many places. Soviet geologists explored and prepared for development a large Novoe sulfur deposit. Only in one of its sections - Zapadny - industrial sulfur reserves amount to more than 5 million tons. On the islands of Iturup and Kunashir, there are many and smaller deposits that can attract entrepreneurs. In addition, some geologists consider the area of ​​the Lesser Kuril Ridge promising for oil and gas.

In the South Kuriles, there are very scarce in the country and very valuable thermal mineral waters... The most famous of them are the Hot Beach springs, in which waters with a high content of silicic and boric acids have a temperature of up to 100 o C. There is a hydropathic establishment. Similar waters - in the Severo-Mendeleevsky and Chaikinsky springs on the island. Kunashir, as well as in a number of places on the island. Iturup.

And who has not heard about the thermal waters of the Southern Kuriles? In addition to the tourism object, it is thermal power raw materials, the importance of which has recently increased in connection with the ongoing energy crisis in the Far East and the Kuril Islands. So far, a geothermal hydroelectric power station that uses underground heat operates only in Kamchatka. But it is possible and necessary to develop high-potential coolants - volcanoes and their derivatives - on the Kuril Islands. To date, on about. Kunashir has explored the Hot Beach steam hydrotherm deposit, which can provide the city of Yuzhno-Kurilsk with heat and hot water (partially the steam-water mixture is used to supply heat to the military unit and the greenhouses of the state farm). On about. Iturup has explored a similar deposit - Okeanskoye.

It is also important that the South Kuriles are a unique testing ground for the study of geological processes, volcanism, ore formation, the study of giant waves (tsunamis), and seismicity. There is no second such scientific testing ground in Russia. And science, as you know, is a productive force, a fundamental basis for the development of any society.

And how can you call the South Kurils "naked islands" if they are covered with almost subtropical vegetation, where there are many medicinal herbs and berries (aralia, lemongrass, redberry), rivers are rich red fish(chum salmon, pink salmon, sima), do seals, sea lions, seals, sea otters live on the coast, the shallow water is dotted with crabs, shrimps, trepangs, scallops?

Isn't all of the above known in the government, in the embassy Russian Federation in Japan, to "our" democrats? I think that the reasoning about the possibility of transferring the South Kuriles to Japan - not from stupidity, but from meanness. Some figures like Zhirinovsky offer to sell our islands to Japan and name specific amounts. Russia sold Alaska cheaply, also considering the peninsula "useless land." And now the United States gets a third of its oil in Alaska, more than half of its gold, and much more. So make a bargain anyway, gentlemen!

How Russia and Japan will divide the Kuriles. Answering eight naive questions about the disputed islands

Moscow and Tokyo, possibly closer than ever to the solution of the problem of the South Kuril Islands - this is the opinion of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. For his part, Vladimir Putin explained that Russia is ready to discuss this issue only on the basis of the Soviet-Japanese declaration of 1956 - according to which the USSR agreed to transfer to Japan only two the smallest South Kuril Islands - Shikotan and I come Habomai... But he left behind large and inhabited islands Iturup and Kunashir.

Will Russia agree to the treaty and where did the "Kuril issue" come from? A senior researcher at the Center for Japanese Studies at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences helped "Komsomolskaya Pravda" Victor Kuzminkov.

1. Why do the Japanese generally claim the Kuril Islands? After all, they abandoned them after the Second World War?

- Indeed, in 1951, the San Francisco Peace Treaty was concluded, where it was spelled out that Japan refuses from all claims to the Kuril Islands, - agrees Kuzminkov. - But after a few years, in order to get around this moment, the Japanese four islands - Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai - began to call the northern territories and deny that they belong to the Kuril ridge (but, on the contrary, belong to the island of Hokkaido). Although on the pre-war Japanese maps, they were designated precisely as the South Kuriles.

2. Still, how many disputed islands - two or four?

- Now Japan claims all four of the aforementioned islands - in 1855, the border between Russia and Japan passed along them. But immediately after World War II - both in San Francisco in 1951 and in 1956 when the Soviet-Japanese declaration was signed - Japan disputed only Shikotan and Habomai. At that time, They recognized Iturup and Kunashir as the Southern Kuriles. It is about returning to the positions of the 1956 declaration that Putin and Abe are now talking about.

3. Is it true that Gorbachev promised to give the Kuril Islands to the Japanese?

“When Japan increased its demands from two to four islands in the 1960s, the USSR closed discussions on this issue,” the Japanese scholar recalled. - 30 years old head of the Soviet Foreign Ministry Gromyko said that we have no unresolved territorial issues with Japan. And if they want to discuss something, then let them first remove all American bases from their territory.

The position changed only under Gorbachev. New Foreign Minister Shevardnadze began to say that if Japan raises this issue, then, therefore, there is a problem. In 1991, Gorbachev was the first Soviet leader to admit the existence of a territorial dispute over the four islands, and in 1993 Yeltsin signed the Tokyo Declaration, according to which first it was necessary to settle the "Kuril dispute" and only then sign a peace treaty. It was a concession to Japan's position, since our position has always been - first, a peace treaty, and then we discuss territorial issues.

4. What are the southern Kurils rich in?

- Firstly, the world's largest field is located on Iturup rhenium(the rarest and most expensive metal used in rocketry and supersonic aviation. - "KP"). You need to get it on a volcano, which is not easy, but with a set business, you can make good money on it.

Secondly, it is excellent fish fishing, which is now the basis of the Kuril economy.

Third, they are outstanding natural beauty... There is no doubt that the Japanese, having received these islands, will make them tourist mecca with thermal springs.

5. What is the role of the islands from a military point of view?

– Huge... Near them are non-freezing deep-water straits that connect the Sea of ​​Okhotsk with the Pacific Ocean. And, by the way, they are suitable for the movement of submarines, - says Viktor Kuzminkov. - And if Shikotan and Habomai, which are slightly away from the main ridge, do not greatly affect the borders, then the transfer of Iturup and Kunashir to Japan would deprive Russia of the most convenient exit from the Sea of ​​Okhotsk to the Pacific Ocean. After all, the northern Kuril straits are too shallow and not suitable for the fleet.

In addition, according to the military, the Japanese radar stations on the Kuril Islands would significantly increase their coverage compared to placement in Hokkaido.

6. Will Japan be able to deploy military bases in the Kuril Islands?

- Japanese newspapers are already reporting that Abe promised Putin not to let the American military into the Kuril Islands. But this just an attempt to calm the Russian side... In three years, Abe will leave, and a new prime minister will come, who will decide differently. We remember how the Americans' promise to Gorbachev turned out not to deploy NATO in Eastern Europe. Yes and with the Japanese, such a precedent has already been: in the late 1950s, their prime minister Nobusuke Kishi (by the way, Shinzo Abe's grandfather) strengthened relations with the United States, although Khrushchev agreed with the previous head of government that this would not happen. So I would not take all the current promises of the Japanese seriously.

7. What will the peace treaty with Japan give us?

- Two things need to be separated. Peace treaty and border demarcation agreement. The peace treaty, in fact, is not needed by either us or Japan... By the same 1956 declaration, Russia and Japan came out of the state of war. Japan needs a peace treaty only in order to resolve territorial issues under its cover.

If we talk about the benefits for Russia, then, in my opinion, there are none, - says Viktor Kuzminkov. - Wait for the growth of trade or Japanese investment in Russia? A joint business should have economic motivation, not political one. And Japanese companies will come to Russia when the investment climate improves here.

Break the alliance between Japan and the United States? Unrealistic. America was, is and will be Japan's No. 1 power.

Moreover, Japan will never agree to the transfer of only two islands. Such an agreement would be Shinzo Abe's political suicide. They are ready only for the "2 + 2" scheme, that is, for the following sequence: the transfer of Shikotan and Habomai to Japan - the signing of a peace treaty - the continuation of negotiations on Iturup and Kunashir.

8. Are there any alternatives? For example, joint activities in the southern Kuriles?

- Joint farming in the Kuril Islands was discussed, but I believe that this is a stillborn project, - the expert commented. - Japan will demand for itself such preferences that will call into question the sovereignty of Russia in these territories.

Similarly, the Japanese are not ready to agree to lease the islands from Russia (this idea was also voiced) - they consider the northern territories to be their ancestral land.

In my opinion, the only realistic option for today is the signing of a peace treaty, which means little to both countries. And the subsequent creation of a commission on delimitation of borders, which will sit for at least 100 years, but will not come to any decision.

REFERENCE "KP"

The total population of the South Kuril Islands is about 17 thousand people.

Group of islands Habomai(more than 10 islands) - uninhabited.

On the island Shikotan- 2 villages: Malokurilskoe and Krabozavodskoe. There is a cannery. During the Soviet years, it was one of the largest in the USSR. But now little is left of its former power.

On the island Iturup- the city of Kurilsk (1600 people) and 7 villages. In 2014, they opened here international Airport Iturup.

On the island Kunashir- the village of Yuzhno-Kurilsk (7700 people) and 6 smaller villages. Here is a geothermal power plant and more than a hundred military facilities.

Pavel Shipilin. Kuril Islands - Japanese national idea

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In view of recent events, many inhabitants of the planet are interested in where the Kuril Islands are located, as well as to whom they belong. If there is still no concrete answer to the second question, then the first can be answered quite unambiguously. The Kuril Islands are a chain of islands approximately 1.2 kilometers long. It runs from the Kamchatka Peninsula to the island land area called Hokkaido. A peculiar convex arc, consisting of fifty-six islands, is located in two parallel lines, and also separates the Sea of ​​Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean. The total territorial area is 10,500 km 2. The state border between Japan and Russia is stretched from the southern side.

The lands in question are of invaluable economic as well as military-strategic importance. Most of them are considered part of the Russian Federation and belong to the Sakhalin region. However, the status of such components of the archipelago, including Shikotan, Kunashir, Iturup, as well as the Habomai group, is disputed by the Japanese authorities, which attributes the listed islands to Hokkaido prefecture. Thus, you can find the Kuril Islands on the map of Russia, but Japan plans to legalize the ownership of some of them. These territories have their own characteristics. For example, the archipelago entirely belongs to the Far North, if you look at the legal documents. And this is despite the fact that Shikotan is located in the same latitude with the city of Sochi and Anapa.

Kunashir, Cape Column

Climate of the Kuril Islands

Within the area under consideration, a temperate maritime climate prevails, which can be called cool rather than warm. The main impact on climatic conditions is exerted by baric systems, which usually form over the North Pacific Ocean, the cold Kuril Current, and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The southern part of the archipelago is covered by monsoon atmospheric currents, for example, the Asian winter anticyclone also dominates there.

Shikotan Island

It should be noted that the weather on the Kuril Islands is quite changeable. The landscapes of local latitudes are characterized by less heat supply than the territories of the corresponding latitudes, but in the center of the continent. The average freezing temperature in winter is the same for each island included in the chain and ranges from -5 to -7 degrees. Prolonged heavy snowfalls, thaws, increased clouds and blizzards often occur in winter. In summer, temperature indicators vary from +10 to +16 degrees. The further south the island is located, the higher the air temperature will be.

The main factor influencing the summer temperature index is considered to be the nature of the hydrological circulation inherent in coastal waters.

If we consider the components of the middle and northern group of islands, it is worth noting that the temperature of the coastal waters there does not rise above five to six degrees, therefore, these territories are characterized by the lowest summer rate for the Northern Hemisphere. Throughout the year, the archipelago receives from 1000 to 1400 mm of precipitation, which is evenly distributed over the seasons. You can also talk about excess moisture everywhere. In the southern side of the chain, in summer, the humidity indicator exceeds ninety percent, which is why fogs, dense in their consistency, appear. If we carefully consider the latitudes where the Kuril Islands are located on the map, we can conclude that the terrain is particularly difficult. It is regularly affected by cyclones, which are accompanied by excessive precipitation and can also cause typhoons.

Simushir Island

Population

The territories are populated unevenly. All year round, the population of the Kuril Islands lives on Shikotan, Kunashir, Paramushir and Iturup. Other parts of the archipelago have no permanent population. There are nineteen in total settlements, including sixteen villages, an urban-type settlement called Yuzhno-Kurilsk, as well as two major cities, including Kurilsk and Severo-Kurilsk. In 1989, the maximum value of the population was recorded, which was equal to 30,000 people.

The high population density of the territories during the Soviet Union is explained by subsidies to those regions, as well as by the large number of military personnel who inhabited the islands of Simushir, Shumshu, and so on.

By 2010, the figure had dropped significantly. The total area occupied by 18,700 people, of which approximately 6,100 live within the Kuril district, and 10,300 - in the South Kuril district. The rest of the people occupied local villages. The population has decreased significantly due to the remoteness of the archipelago, but the climate of the Kuril Islands also played its part, which not everyone can withstand.

Uninhabited islands of Ushishir

How to get to the Kuriles

The most convenient way to get here is by air. The local airport called Iturup is considered one of the most important aviation facilities built from scratch in post-Soviet times. It was built and equipped in accordance with modern technological requirements, therefore, it was awarded the status of an international aviation point. The first flight, which later became regular, was accepted on September 22, 2014. It was the plane of the "Aurora" company, which arrived from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. There were fifty passengers on board. This event was negatively perceived by the Japanese authorities, which refer this territory to their country. Therefore, disputes about who own the Kuril Islands continue to this day.

It is worth noting that a trip to the Kuril Islands must be planned in advance. The planning of the route should take into account that the entire archipelago includes fifty-six islands, among which Iturup and Kunashir are the most popular. You can get them in two ways. The most convenient way to fly is by plane, but tickets should be bought several months before the scheduled date, since there are quite few flights. The second way is to travel by boat from the port of Korsakov. The journey takes from 18 to 24 hours, but you can buy a ticket only at the box office of the Kuriles or Sakhalin, that is, online sales are not provided.

Urup is uninhabited island volcanic origin

Interesting Facts

Despite all the difficulties, life on the Kuril Islands is developing and growing. The history of the territories began in 1643, when several sections of the archipelago were surveyed by Martin Fries and his team. The first information received by Russian scientists dates back to 1697, when V. Atlasov's campaign across Kamchatka took place. All subsequent expeditions led by I. Kozyrevsky, F. Luzhin, M. Shpanberg and others were aimed at the systematic development of the area. After it became clear who discovered the Kuril Islands, you can get acquainted with several interesting facts related to the archipelago:

1. To get to the Kuriles, a tourist will need special permit since the zone is borderline. This document issued exclusively by the border department of the FSB of Sakhalinsk. To do this, you will need to come to the institution at 9:30 - 10:30 with your passport. The permit will be ready the next day. Therefore, the traveler will definitely stay in the city for one day, which should be taken into account when planning a trip.
2. Due to the unpredictable climate, visiting the islands, you can get stuck here for a long time, because in bad weather the airport of the Kuril Islands and their ports stop working. High clouds and nebula become a frequent obstacle. At the same time, we are not talking about a couple of hour flight delay. A traveler should always be prepared to spend an extra week or two here.
3. All five hotels are open for guests of the Kuriles. The hotel called "Vostok" is designed for eleven rooms, "Iceberg" - three rooms, "Flagman" - seven rooms, "Iturup" - 38 rooms, "Island" - eleven rooms. It is necessary to reserve seats in advance.
4. Japanese lands can be seen from the windows of local residents, but the best view is on Kunashir. To verify this fact, the weather must be clear.
5. The Japanese past is closely related to these territories. There are still Japanese cemeteries, factories, the coast from the Pacific Ocean is densely lined with fragments of Japanese porcelain, which existed even before the war. Therefore, you can often find archaeologists or collectors here.
6. It is also worth understanding that the controversial Kuril Islands, first of all, are volcanoes. Their territory consists of 160 volcanoes, of which about forty remain active.
7. The local flora and fauna are amazing. Along the highways, bamboo grows here, a magnolia or mulberry tree can grow near the tree. The lands are rich in berries, blueberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, prince, redberries, Chinese magnolia vine, blueberries and so on grow abundantly here. Locals claim that you can meet a bear here, especially not far from the Tyati Kunashira volcano.
8. Practically everyone local has a car at his disposal, but there are no gas stations in any of the settlements. Fuel is supplied inside special barrels from Vladivostok and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
9. Due to the high seismicity of the region, its territories are built up mainly with two- and three-story buildings. Houses five stories high are already considered high-rise buildings and are very rare.
10. While it will be decided whose Kuril Islands, the Russians living here, the duration of the vacation will be 62 days a year. Residents of the southern ridge can enjoy a visa-free regime with Japan. This opportunity is used by about 400 people per year.

The Great Kuril Arc is surrounded by underwater volcanoes, some of which regularly make themselves felt. Any eruption becomes the reason for the resumption of seismic activity, which provokes a "seaquake". Therefore, local lands are prone to frequent tsunamis. The strongest tsunami wave with a height of about 30 meters in 1952 completely destroyed the city on the Paramushir island called Severo-Kurilsk.

The last century was also remembered for several natural disasters. Among them, the most famous was the 1952 tsunami that struck Paramushir, as well as the 1994 Shikotan tsunami. Therefore, it is believed that such a beautiful nature of the Kuril Islands is also very dangerous for human life, but this does not interfere local cities to develop, and the population to grow.

In the devastating euphoria of "perestroika," Russian diplomats inadvertently gave the Japanese government a reason to hope for a revision of the results of World War II, and although Tokyo today displays a subtle diplomatic flair, these hopes remain. The Kuril concession, in addition to striking at Russia's strategic positions in the Pacific, would be an extraordinary precedent for the resumption of territorial disputes around the world.

After the destruction of the Yalta-Potsdam order, active attempts are being made to achieve its legal revision. In connection with these disputes, we undertake to firmly assert that the changes that have occurred do not at all entail the possibility of challenging the remaining territorial results of the Yalta-Potsdam agreements. Satisfaction of Japanese claims for the "return" of the islands would mean undermining the very principle of the inviolability of the results of the Second World War. This is especially dangerous now, when the US and NATO aggression against sovereign Yugoslavia has made the map of Europe shaky.

The ideologists of perestroika considered it uncivilized to defend Russia's historical achievements. Under the communists, all phenomena and achievements were attributed to the merit of the only correct doctrine, which gave rise to anecdotes like: "The party teaches that gases expand when heated." During perestroika, the gases stopped expanding when heated just as anecdotally, as the party that lost power taught so. Russian grief thinkers again reached the point of absurdity, rejecting with pathos all the paternal coffins of not only Soviet, but also the entire Russian history.

There are two Japan - before and after the war

The term "return" in relation to the subject of territorial claims of the postwar Japanese state should be permanently removed from official language Russian officials. This term is a conceptual revision of the outcome of the war, meaning the indirect recognition of the new Japan as the successor (continuity) of the Japanese state that unleashed and lost the war.

Politicians and statesmen should remember some of the provisions of international law. Neither the FRG and the German Democratic Republic, created after the war, nor Japan, nor even today's united Germany are the successors of the subjectivity of the pre-war states, have no continuity in relation to them. They are new subjects of international relations and international law. Their succession in relation to the former states is limited by the decisions of the powers with quadripartite responsibility. This follows from the legal content of the principle of complete and unconditional surrender, embedded in the post-war system.

Complete and unconditional surrender is fundamentally different from simple surrender in its legal, political and historical consequences. Simple surrender means only an admission of defeat in hostilities and does not affect the international legal personality of the defeated power. Such a state, albeit utterly defeated, retains its sovereignty and itself, as a legal party, negotiates the terms of peace. But complete and unconditional surrender means the termination of the existence of the subject of international relations, the dismantling of the former state, the loss of its sovereignty and all power powers that pass to the winners, who themselves determine the conditions of peace and the post-war order. In place of the former, a new subject of international law appears, which may have legal succession in relation to it. To what extent, limited or almost complete - it is up to the winners. The new states of Germany, the German Democratic Republic and Japan were created on the terms of allies within new borders, with new constitutions and government bodies. This is especially evident in the case of Germany, which even received a new official name... Neither the FRG nor the GDR enjoyed full sovereignty even after 40 years. Their sovereignty in terms of international law had a so-called derivative character - derived from the powers of the allies, who retained part of their powers in the form of quadripartite responsibility.

An example can be given of how the United States used its powers over the FRG two decades after the victory. In 1973. During the Arab-Israeli war, Foreign Minister Walter Scheel officially objected to the sending of American weapons from the FRG to Israel and the use of its ports and airfields, and said that the FRG did not want to deteriorate relations with the Arab world and chose the role of a neutral state. There was an immediate rebuff from Washington. The State Department, in an official note, said in harsh terms, that the FRG does not have full sovereignty, and the United States, proceeding from its rights arising from the principles of post-war settlement, have the right, without notice, to take any action from the territory of the FRG that it deems necessary for its interests. The absence of complete sovereignty and continuity in relation to the Reich was demonstrated even by the moment of German reunification. Hardly anyone could interfere with this process, nevertheless, in order for the new state to gain sovereignty, the four powers had to agree to unification and formally resign, which was done in the Treaty "Two plus four".

The concept of the Japanese government proceeds from the non-recognition of this very basis of the post-war settlement. In the case of Japan, the outward manifestations of the loss of sovereignty and the interruption of international legal personality are less obvious. Japan retained the former emperor. This fact is used to assert that the legal personality of Japan was not interrupted, that the preservation of the former imperial supreme power means the continuity of the state. However, in reality there was no continuity, and the recognition of the succession of the imperial power took place, but the source of the preservation of the imperial dynasty is completely different - this is the will and decision of the victors.

Japan's position does not stand up to criticism that it cannot consider itself bound by the Yalta agreements, since it was not a party to them. If we recognize the right of today's Japan to challenge the territorial decisions of the victors, is it possible to guarantee that the Oder-Neisse line, drawn not by the Germans, but by the victorious powers that did not ask Field Marshal Keitel's consent, will not be questioned in the future. Today's Japan is a post-war state, and the settlement can proceed solely from the post-war international legal basis, especially since only this basis has legal force. It is especially interesting in this matter that all the historical treaties of the past, to which Japanese politicians refer, lost their force in today's disputes, not even in 1945, but back in 1904, with the outbreak of the Russian-Japanese war.

History " Kuril issue"and international law

The entire "historical" layer of the argument of the Japanese side has nothing to do with the rights of today's Japanese state, although it certainly has something to do with Japanese history. In this argumentation, a special place is occupied by references to the treaties of the 19th century - the Shimodsky trade agreement of 1855, according to which the border was drawn between the islands of Urup and Iturup, and Sakhalin remained undefined, as well as to the St. Sakhalin to the Russian all the Kuril Islands were transferred to Japan.

In modern Japanese literature, only those semi-official historical studies and maps of the past are cited, where, in one way or another, the Kuriles are designated as the possessions of Japan. However, Japanese historians of the past gave Russia an indisputable priority in the discovery and development of the islands and pointed out that until the middle of the 19th century, Japan did not consider not only the Kuriles and Sakhalin, which was considered a peninsula there, as its possessions, while from the Russian side it had already been thoroughly investigated , but even the island of Hokkaido, which was not yet inhabited at that time. But already at the end of the XIX century. Japan seeks to oust Russian settlers from the Kuril Islands, destroy their posts, evict from there the indigenous inhabitants - the Ainu, who had not seen the Japanese before the advent of the Russian pioneers and had not paid tribute to anyone.

Experts in the USSR, on the basis of archival materials, foreign sources and cartographic data, gave a convincing answer to all the unreasonable attempts of Japan to distort the history of the discovery of the Kuril Islands. These works were prepared in the 60s and 70s, as a rule, for official use. They are scrupulously documented and free from the propaganda acuity that the modern reader often suspects of bias.

Japanese diplomats believe that in recent years they have received irrefutable evidence of the "original" ownership of a number of the currently disputed islands. We are talking about instructions to Admiral Putyatin, with which he went to negotiate with Japan in 1853. Under A. Kozyrev, this archival document was "kindly" provided to Japan from the archives of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs by employees of the Kozyrev school - an action that at all times was considered incompatible with the official and departmental ethics of a diplomat - simply betrayal. In the instructions for the negotiations of 1854, Nicholas I considered it possible, under certain conditions, to agree to the insistence of Japan and admit that "of the Kuril Islands, the southernmost one belonging to Russia is Urup Island" ... so that "from our side the southern tip of this island was (as it is now, in essence) border with Japan ".

The Japanese side, and such "Russian" diplomats as G. Kunadze and others. interpret these words as proof that disputed islands and until 1855 did not belong to Russia, and that the Russian government itself knew this and allegedly did not consider the Kuriles south of Urup Russian territory... However, these words only mean that the Russian government proceeded from the general recognition that the islands to the north of Urup belong to Russia, and was aware that Japan disputed the belonging of the islands to the south of Urup.

By this time, the border between Russia and Japan had not yet been formally fixed in an international bilateral treaty, which was what had to be done. The very construction of the phrase "as it is now in fact is ", just says that in the opinion of the Emperor there was a discrepancy between the due border due to the ownership of the islands of Russia, and the line that "in fact", that is, in real circumstances it had to be observed in order to avoid sharp clashes with Japan, which claims the territory. Russia lacked a sufficient population capable of self-defense, economic infrastructure and armed posts in the Far East, that is, there was no military-political opportunity to really exercise its sovereignty over these islands in the face of constant Japanese encroachments. The most difficult international situation on the eve of the Crimean War forced one to behave in such a way as not to intensify the acuteness of relations, that is, "in essence" to deviate from their historical rights.

The mentioned Russian-Japanese treaties, like any territorial delimitation, are a reflection of the balance of forces and the international situation. The Shimoda treatise was signed at the height of the Crimean War, when British and French squadrons were in charge in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky was besieged, and although the attack of the British landing was repulsed, the port was even evacuated to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur. At any time, the British could land on the Kuril Islands, which were not formally delimited in an international treaty. It was safer for Russia to go to such a delineation, in which part of the islands would be under the jurisdiction of Japan, which is weak in the naval relation, but would not be occupied by the strongest naval power - Great Britain. In addition, Japan's agreement to trade in food with Russia, which could not maintain its military posts on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands due to chronic food shortages, was considered a great success. Japan, which pursued a policy of complete isolation, for a long time flatly refused to sell even salt and flour.

The United States was already playing an openly anti-Russian role by launching a massive infiltration into the Far East Pacific region. The United States considered Russia to be one of the main obstacles to its expansion, and Japan as a tool against it. The American missions constantly urged Japan not to agree to the recognition of southern Sakhalin by Russia and suggested that Russia was seeking to seize Hokkaido. Russian diplomats had to disavow these insinuations, and the Americans even made an official apology. American press in the 70s. XIX century. She openly expressed the hope that as a result of cooperation between the United States and Japan, "a reduction in Russia's holdings in the eastern part of Asia" would be achieved.

The same situation persisted during the conclusion of the St. Petersburg Treaty of 1875 on the exchange of territories. It was more important in an international legal way to secure the ownership of the entire Sakhalin to Russia and to secure it from the shameless military expansion of the Western European powers. But even after the conclusion of these treaties, Japan practically never observed them, violating territorial waters and landing in other territories belonging to Russia, and later unleashed the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. And this war in general crossed out all previous decisions, because international law says: a state of war between states terminates the validity of all and all treaties between them. It should be reminded of today's Japan, as well as the fact that this was exactly what was indicated by the Japanese side to Count S.Yu. Witte, who tried at the Portsmouth Negotiations in 1905. save southern Sakhalin, referring to the 1875 treaty. According to the Peace of Portsmouth, Russia was inferior to the victorious Japan and all the Kuriles, and southern Sakhalin, which was always viewed by Russian diplomacy as a great defeat.

American Ambassador to Russia as an informant for the Japanese in 1905

A real detective story is the US diplomatic game during the Portsmouth talks following the Russian-Japanese war lost by Russia. The United States, of course, "took to heart the cause of universal peace," which could lead to the much-desired "reduction of Russia's holdings in South Asia." American President Theodore Roosevelt believed that American "future history will be more determined by our position in the Pacific towards China than by our position on Atlantic Ocean in relation to Europe. "The United States did not consider Japan itself a serious rival, but in every possible way tried to prevent the strengthening of Russian positions. Therefore, from the very beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, Theodore Roosevelt's sympathies were on the side of Japan.

By the time of the Portsmouth talks, Roosevelt had agreed with the Japanese government on the delimitation of spheres of influence. Under a secret agreement dated July 31, 1905, through an exchange of telegrams between T. Roosevelt and Katsura, the Japanese prime minister, Japan abandoned its "intentions" regarding the Philippines, leaving them to the will of the United States, and the United States agreed to Japan's right to establish control over Korea. (Against this background, it is inappropriate for Washington to resent the Molotov-Ribbentropp Pact, which allowed the USSR only to restore the territory historical Russia lost due to revolution, civil war and intervention). With such a "American-Japanese alliance" behind him, T. Roosevelt, who assumed the role of an "honest broker", could not be an impartial mediator. The real role of the United States is clarified by the very interesting memoirs of the largest Japanese diplomat of the early twentieth century. Kikujiro Ishii, a direct participant in the events, published in a brilliant translation by O.A. Troyanovsky and with excellent analysis by A.A. Troyanovsky senior. Ishii later became the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the author of the famous agreement on special rights in China "Lansing - Ishii Agreement" of 1917.

At the Portsmouth Conference, the Japanese delegation demanded not only all the Kuriles, but the entire Sakhalin, and a monetary contribution. Russia represented by Count S.Yu. Witte objected, showing, as Ishii put it, "hysterical stubbornness", and refused to pay any indemnity at all. It is clear from the memoirs that Japan was so exhausted by the war and wished for an early conclusion of peace that by the end of the negotiations it was ready to agree to the ownership of the entire Sakhalin by Russia without any monetary compensation... Neither Petersburg nor the Russian delegation knew this, but the decision to concede was made by the Japanese government. Appropriate instructions were sent to Portsmouth, instructing the Japanese delegation, in case of further persistence of the Russian delegation, to agree to the preservation of the entire Sakhalin for Russia.

At the moment when the Japanese government decided to retreat from its initial demands on Sakhalin, Russia was completely unaware of these intentions, while Washington was immediately aware of this unhappy prospect, and the United States undertook to "help." To what extent the United States would like to "reduce the possessions of Russia" is evident from the telegram of T. Roosevelt to Nicholas II. The American "peacemaker" frightened Japan with insurmountable claims and its determination to resume hostilities, threatening that "the continuation of the war could lead to the loss of the entire Russian territory east of Lake Baikal", that is, to terminate the existence of Russia as a Pacific power. During these days in St. Petersburg, the American Ambassador to Russia Mayer asked for an audience and began to persuade Nicholas II to make concessions, promising President Roosevelt's mediation in the matter to "persuade" Japan to refuse the indemnity. Nicholas II as a whole "persisted", but then "in passing, as if to himself, remarked that it would be possible to consider the possibility of transferring the southern part of Sakhalin to Japan ...". Information about Russia's potential readiness to cede southern Sakhalin was immediately conveyed to President T. Roosevelt, and in less than a day it became known to the Japanese side. Ishii in his memoirs in every possible way denies the assumption (naturally arising from the reader) that the American president could have conveyed this information to Tokyo, nevertheless, the facts indicate the opposite.

A lucky circumstance for Japan was the 14-hour time difference between Tokyo and Portsmouth. Ishii managed to meet with the Prime Minister, who at first doubted the reliability of the information. The Minister of War warned Ishii that he would have to do hara-kiri if the information turned out to be false. But Ishii was confident in the reliability of the communication channel. It can be assumed that this very channel has already established itself, having informed Roosevelt about the decision of the Japanese to come to terms with the conditions of the Russians. Of course, Ishii describes the receipt of this information as pure "accident" during a conversation with "one friend" "in one of the foreign missions in Tokyo", in which he "learned about what happened during the royal audience." Ishii insisted that old instructions be withdrawn immediately and new instructions sent. The Japanese delegation postponed the next meeting, then, following the new instructions, made the following statement: "The imperial government has decided, as a sign of its peacefulness, to abandon demands for the whole of Sakhalin and is making the last concession, being satisfied with the southern half of the island." It is clear from everything that the diplomacy of Witte, who received the nickname "Count Polusakhalinsky", was not successful. With some firmness, Russia would not have lost the southern part of Sakhalin.

What has been decided in Yalta, Potsdam and San Francisco?

The only valid and legally binding international legal documents that should be the basis of the current approach to the Kuril ridge problem are the decisions of the powers in Yalta, Potsdam and the San Francisco Peace Treaty with Japan, signed in 1951 by 51 states led by the United States. In accordance with the decisions of the Yalta Conference, all the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island were "forever" returned to the Soviet Union. This was also confirmed by the Potsdam Declaration of the USA, Great Britain and China, to which the USSR later joined.

The text, drawn up even without the USSR, said that "after complete and unconditional surrender, Japan's sovereignty will be limited to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and those less large islands, which we will indicate". Last words illustrate the legal consequences of the principle of complete and unconditional surrender - Japan's loss of international legal personality and the right to negotiate peace terms. Based on these documents, the US military administration in Japan sent directive N677 dated January 29, 1946. indicating that all Kuril Islands, including Sikotan and Habomai, are excluded from Japanese jurisdiction.

The USSR did not sign the San Francisco Peace Treaty with Japan. International relations in Asia after the war were extremely difficult due to the completely new role of communist China, relations with which in Asia were extremely important for the USSR. The West, on the other hand, recognized the Taiwanese Kuomintang government. As a result, in this treaty, the United States managed to impose many provisions that were contrary to the interests of the Soviet Union. This treaty does not contain an indication that the territories in question are transferred to the USSR. But this does not change the indisputable fact that in article 2 of this treaty, Japan "renounces all rights, legal grounds and claims to the Kuril Islands and that part of Sakhalin Island and the adjacent islands, over which Japan acquired sovereignty over the Treaty of Portsmouth from the 5th September 1905 ". This Treaty and this clause are signed by the United States.

Since it seems impossible to bypass the provisions of the San Francisco Treaty, and their direct undermining would undermine territorial stability in Asia - the status of Outer Mongolia, the independence of Korea, and more, Japan and the United States invented a new argument in the mid-1950s, which is being strenuously imposed on the world community ... Now the islands of Shikotan and Habomai allegedly belong to the system of the island of Hokkaido, and the concept of the Kuril Islands allegedly does not cover a "special geographical unit" - "South Kuriles" (with a capital "U") - Kunashir and Iturup. This is, of course, a geographical "innovation", even the British Encyclopedia unequivocally points to Kunashir and Iturup as "the largest of the Kuril Islands." Any geographical atlas considers the Kuriles as a single geographical concept, since the Kuril ridge has all the features of such a classification.

However, the United States and Japan are completely clear about the fact that in the San Francisco Treaty, Japan refused to of all The Kuril Islands is beyond doubt. For example, the book by the American author D. Reese "The Seizure of the Kuril Islands by the Soviets" is kept in a special depository in Japanese libraries - it contains an excerpt from the reference book of the US Navy, published in 1943. in case of military operations in the area. The directory lists all the "Kuril Islands" with their descriptions from the point of view of military navigation. Among them are the very islands that Japan now declares not belonging to the Kuril ridge. The book quotes a recording of a conversation between A. Dulles and Yoshida, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, who asked if it was possible to present the case in such a way that the Yalta-Potsdam decision did not apply to southern islands Kuril ridge. Dulles responded that such a drastic change in previous agreements would require years of controversy, which would delay Japan's full sovereignty indefinitely. So Japan realized which islands it was losing.

High-ranking Japanese official Nishimura, director of the Peace Treaty Department of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, while presenting the terms of the San Francisco Treaty in the Japanese parliament, explained that "the concept of the Kuril Islands, which appears in the treaty, includes all islands, both northern and southern." In response to the reproaches of the nationalists, Nishimura replied in parliament that "the loss of sovereignty entails for Japan the loss of the right to speak out about the ultimate ownership of the territory."

One must also calmly refer to the Soviet-Japanese declaration of October 19, 1956, in which the state of war was ended, and also declared the USSR's consent to transfer the islands of Habomai and Sikotan to Japan, but after the conclusion of a peace treaty. The declaration is different from the contract and is a protocol of intent. During this time, Japan entered into a military cooperation agreement with the United States, securing the indefinite stay of American armed forces on its territory. The troops of a third party - the United States - would not fail to appear on the islands. For all the shortsightedness of Khrushchev's statement, it is not about "returning", but about "transfer", that is, readiness to dispose of its territory as an act of goodwill, which does not create a precedent for revising the outcome of the war. The statements that a peace treaty is supposedly necessary for normal relations are also untenable. There are cases in international law when a post-war settlement did without one. There was no peace treaty with Germany, the state of war with which was terminated unilaterally by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and legal acts of the allied powers.

The principle of the inviolability of the results of World War II should be taken as the basis for a new stage Russian-Japanese relations, and the term "return" is forever forgotten. But maybe it is worth letting Japan create a museum of military glory on Kunashir, from which the Japanese pilots fantastically bombed Pearl Harbor. Let the Japanese often remember what the Americans did to them in response, and about the US base in Okinawa, but they feel the Russians' tribute to the former enemy.