Russia sees no reason to discuss peace with Japan

8/4/2025 19:11

Russia sees no reason to discuss the possibility of signing a long-awaited peace treaty with Japan to formally end World War Two because of Tokyo's unfriendly stance towards Moscow, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.



Russia, the successor state to the Soviet Union, and Japan have never signed a treaty formally ending their hostilities during World War Two.



Soviet troops took control of four islands off Japan's Hokkaido - known in Russia as the Kurils and in Japan as the Northern Territories - at the end of the war and they have remained in Moscow's hands since. The territorial dispute has prevented progress on signing a treaty.



"No, there are no contacts with the Japanese authorities at the moment," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, when asked about a Japanese Foreign Ministry report which said Tokyo was still committed to signing a treaty and hoped to return the islands.