Japan cancels humanitarian aid to Russian-held islands+

TOKYO, Jan. 28 Kyodo - Japan decided Wednesday to cancel humanitarian assistance to four disputed Russian-held islands for the remainder of fiscal 2008 through March this year as Russia demanded the previous day that Japanese government officials on a humanitarian mission submit disembarkation cards before arriving on one of the
four islands, the Foreign Ministry said.

The officials will head back to Japan as talks between Japan and Russia have
broken down, the ministry said, adding that Tokyo conveyed its regrets over the
issue to Moscow through diplomatic channels.
While the two countries have agreed to discuss the issue soon, unsuccessful
negotiations could lead to the suspension of the visa-free visit program among
Japanese and Russian residents.
The move came after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev proposed Saturday in a
phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso that the two hold talks in
mid-February on Sakhalin Island. If the two leaders meet as planned, they may
take up the matter.
A Japanese diplomatic source said, ''The Russian side does not understand the
political impact.''
The visa-free mutual visit program was launched in 1992 between Japanese
citizens and current Russian residents of the Russian-administered and
Japan-claimed islands known in Russia as the Southern Kurils and in Japan as
the Northern Territories, under the names Kunashiri, Etorofu, Shikotan and the
Habomai islet group.
The program aims to deepen mutual understanding between the two countries
toward a solution for the long-standing territorial dispute which has kept them
from concluding a World War II peace treaty.
It has been reported, meanwhile, that the Russian residents on the islands
showed disappointment, as they had expected to receive medical supplies from
Japan.
In Tokyo on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Kazuo Kodama said
submission of disembarkation cards would mean that Japan accepts Russia's claim
that Kunashiri Island belongs to Russia.
While criticizing Russia's move, saying, ''It is beyond our comprehension,''
Kodama stressed that the latest development should not affect the bilateral
talks over the conclusion of the peace treaty and resolution of the territorial
row.
Japan did not encounter such a request when it delivered humanitarian
assistance in fiscal 2006 and 2007. But the Russian side said a revision of its
domestic laws in 2006 requires submission of disembarkation cards.
The Japanese officials left Nemuro, Hokkaido, on a chartered vessel with 12.8
million yen worth of aid materials early Tuesday, and were asked to submit
disembarkation cards by the Russian authorities off Kunashiri Island, bilateral
sources said earlier.
==Kyodo
2009-01-28 22:22:51