.Japan chief cabinet secretary to watch South Kuriles from Hokkaido.

18/2 Tass 63

TOKYO, February 18 (Itar-Tass) -- Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary
Yukio Edano is planning to watch 'the northern territories' (Japan calls
Russia's South Kuriles this way) from the Hokkaido Island on Saturday,
February 19, Edano told a news conference here on Friday.
"The question of northern territories is the problem of not only
former residents of these islands, but also of the whole Japanese people.
I would like to heighten attention to this problem in Japanese public,"
the Japanese chief cabinet secretary, who also holds the post of the
minister of Okinawa and northern territories affairs noted.
Edano's forthcoming visit to Hokkaido to watch the South Kuriles is a
Japanese reciprocal step to the recent visits of Russian ministers to the
South Kuriles, which provoked the negative response in Japan.
Members of the Japanese government make inspections of these
territories from the sea by ships or from the air by airplanes. The South
Kuriles are seen quite well without binocular glasses from the city of
Nemuro on the north-eastern end of the Hokkaido Island. In December 2010
Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara watched the Kuriles from the
airplane. Prime Minister Naoto Kan was also planning to watch the islands
from Hokkaido.
-0-baz/ast


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