Russia rejects Japanese aid offer for disputed isles off Hokkaido+

MOSCOW, Aug. 7 Kyodo -
Russia has rejected Japan's offer of humanitarian aid for the four islands off
Hokkaido over which Japan claims sovereignty, Russia's Foreign Ministry said
Friday.

The ministry said it notified the Japanese Embassy in Moscow of the decision on
Friday.
Since Japan's Diet enacted a revised law in July declaring that the four
islands -- Kunashiri, Etorofu, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group -- are an
''integral part'' of Japan, Russia has toughened its stance on the bilateral
territorial row.
Japan started providing humanitarian aid such as medical supplies and food in
1992 to residents of the four islands who were facing economic difficulties
following the collapse of the former Soviet Union.
But Japan's medical supplies to residents of the islands were cancelled in
January after Japanese Foreign Ministry officials on a humanitarian mission
refused to submit disembarkation cards upon arrival on Kunashiri Island as
doing so would have signified that Japan recognized the island as part of
Russia.
In May, the provincial government of Sakhalin, which controls the four islands,
moved toward rejecting Japanese medical supplies for the islanders on the
grounds that Russia is now more economically developed.
==Kyodo