Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova told Sputnik that Japan's recent statements on the Kurils Islands are in line with the policy of confrontation between Washington and Moscow.

In March, the head of the European Affairs Bureau in the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Hideki Uyama, claimed that "the Northern Territories [Japanese name for the Southern Kurils] are occupied by Russia, and we believe that this contradicts the international law, as well as the ongoing attack of the Russian army on Ukraine."

US decisions now imposed on Japan

In this regard, Zakharova noted that Moscow sees "the absence of Japan's own foreign policy line in international affairs."

"The line is dictated only by Washington, it is simply dictated, it is not formulated in Tokyo from the point of view of national interests, from the point of view of good neighborliness," she pointed out.

Zakharova: The US displeased by Russia-Japan cooperation

The Russian Spokesperson highlighted that Russia and Japan used to have an excellent program of interaction and cooperation and that both were able to identify priority areas for cooperation.

According to Zakharova, all of this turned into an irrelevant agenda due to the fact that Washington did not like the cooperation between Moscow and Tokyo, adding that US decisions are now imposed on Japan.

Sovereignty of islands cannot be challenged

It is noteworthy that the Japanese authorities have been refraining from using the term "occupation" when tackling the Kuril Islands issue until recently, following Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, when claims of these islands being under the Japanese sovereignty suddenly resurfaced. 

Russia and Japan have held talks over the World War II peace treaty and its implementation.

According to TASS, "After the war, the entire archipelago became a part of the Soviet Union, but Japan challenges the sovereignty of the islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and a group of smaller uninhabited islands."

On the other hand, Russia has repeatedly affirmed that the sovereignty of these islands cannot be challenged, as it is protected by international documents.