The problem of «the northern territories» in the works of Russian orientalists

Abstract

The problem of the «northern territories» in the relations between the USSR / Russia and Japan is a kind of echo of the Second World War, which makes itself felt up to the present time. The territorial issue between Moscow and Tokyo has turned into an anachronism, which Russia and Japan have been unable to overcome despite their efforts. In the article the works of Russian scientists have been analyzed and an attempt has been made to consider the key aspects of the historiography of the issue, including the discrepancy between points of view on its specific components. The author of the article studies the scientific works of domestic researchers on the topic and highlights the time of the emergence of the territorial dispute between the USSR and Japan; title documentation regulating the territorial delimitation between the USSR and Japan after the Second World War; points of view on the attachment of the legal rights of the Soviet Union to the Kuril Islands. Moreover, the assessments of Moscow’s refusal to sign the San Francisco Treaty of 1951; alternative points of view of researchers on the historical and legal foundations of the USSR and Japan to possess the Kuriles; pluralism of opinions regarding the belonging of Shikotan and Habomai to the Kuril Islands; whether the rights of the USSR / Russia to possess the Kuril Islands are vulnerable; views on the degree of importance of solving the territorial problem for Japan, etc. have been considered.