Territorial disputes exist in the modern world. Only the Asia-Pacific region has several of these. The most serious of them is the territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands. Russia and Japan are its main participants. The situation on the islands, which are considered a kind of stumbling block between these states, looks like a dormant volcano. No one knows when he will begin his "eruption".
Discovery of the Kuril Islands
The archipelago, located on the border between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean, is the Kuril Islands. It stretches from about. Hokkaido to the Kamchatka Peninsula. The territory of the Kuril Islands consists of 30 large land areas surrounded on all sides by the waters of the sea and ocean, and a large number of small ones.
The first expedition from Europe, which ended up near the shores of the Kuriles and Sakhalin, was Dutch navigators led by M. G. Friz. This event took place in 1634. They not only discovered these lands, but also proclaimed them as Dutch territory.
Explorers of the Russian Empire also explored Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands:
- 1646 - discovery of the northwestern Sakhalin coast by the expedition of V. D. Poyarkov;
- 1697 – V. V. Atlasov becomes aware of the existence of the islands.
At the same time, Japanese navigators begin to sail to the southern islands of the archipelago. By the end of the 18th century, their trading posts and fishing trips appeared here, and a little later - scientific expeditions. A special role in the research belongs to M. Tokunai and M. Rinzō. Around the same time, an expedition from France and England appeared on the Kuril Islands.
Island Discovery Problem
The history of the Kuril Islands has still preserved discussions about the issue of their discovery. The Japanese claim that they were the first to find these lands in 1644. The National Museum of Japanese History carefully preserves a map of that time, on which the corresponding symbols are applied. According to them, Russian people appeared there a little later, in 1711. In addition, the Russian map of this area, dated 1721, designates it as "Japanese Islands." That is, Japan was the discoverer of these lands.
The Kuril Islands in Russian history are first mentioned in the reporting document of N. I. Kolobov to Tsar Alexei from 1646 on the peculiarities of the wanderings of I. Yu. Moskvitin. Also, data from chronicles and maps of medieval Holland, Scandinavia and Germany testify to indigenous Russian villages.
By the end of the 18th century, the offici altheir accession to Russian lands, and the population of the Kuril Islands acquired Russian citizenship. At the same time, state taxes began to be collected here. But neither then, nor a little later, was any bilateral Russian-Japanese treaty or international agreement signed that would secure Russia's rights to these islands. In addition, their southern part was not under the power and control of the Russians.
Kuril Islands and relations between Russia and Japan
The history of the Kuril Islands in the early 1840s is characterized by the intensification of British, American and French expeditions in the Northwest Pacific. This is the reason for a new surge of Russia's interest in establishing diplomatic and commercial relations with the Japanese side. Vice Admiral E. V. Putyatin in 1843 initiated the idea of equipping a new expedition to the Japanese and Chinese territories. But she was rejected by Nicholas I.
Later, in 1844, I. F. Kruzenshtern supported him. But even this did not receive the support of the emperor.
During this period, the Russian-American company took active steps to establish good relations with the neighboring country.
The first treaty between Japan and Russia
The problem of the Kuril Islands was resolved in 1855, when Japan and Russia signed the first treaty. Before that, a rather lengthy negotiation process took place. It began with the arrival of Putyatin in Shimoda at the end of the autumn of 1854. But soon the negotiations were broken off.intense earthquake. A rather serious complication was the Crimean War and the support provided by the French and English rulers to the Turks.
Main provisions of the contract:
- establishment of diplomatic ties between these countries;
- protection and patronage, as well as ensuring the inviolability of the property of citizens of one power in the territory of another;
- drawing the border between the states located near the islands of Urup and Iturup of the Kuril archipelago (preserving the territory of Sakhalin indivisible);
- opening some ports for Russian sailors, allowing trade here under the supervision of local officials;
- appointment of a Russian consul in one of these ports;
- granting the right of extraterritoriality;
- Russia receiving the status of the most favored nation.
Japan also received permission from Russia to trade in the port of Korsakov, located on the territory of Sakhalin, for 10 years. The country's consulate was established here. At the same time, any trade and customs duties were excluded.
Attitude of countries to the Treaty
A new stage, which includes the history of the Kuril Islands, is the signing of the Russian-Japanese treaty of 1875. It caused mixed reviews from representatives of these countries. Citizens of Japan believed that the country's government had done wrong by exchanging Sakhalin for "an insignificant ridge of pebbles" (as they called the Kuriles).
Others simply put forward statements about the exchange of one territory of the country for another. Most of them were inclined to think that sooner or later the day would come when the war did come to the Kuril Islands. The dispute between Russia and Japan will escalate into hostilities, and battles will begin between the two countries.
The Russian side assessed the situation in a similar way. Most representatives of this state believed that the entire territory belongs to them as discoverers. Therefore, the treaty of 1875 did not become the act that once and for all determined the delimitation between the countries. It also failed to be a means of preventing further conflicts between them.
Russo-Japanese War
The history of the Kuril Islands continues, and the next impetus to the complication of Russian-Japanese relations was the war. It took place despite the existence of agreements concluded between these states. In 1904, Japan's treacherous attack on Russian territory took place. This happened before the start of hostilities was officially announced.
The Japanese fleet attacked the Russian ships that were on the outer roads of Port Artois. Thus, some of the most powerful ships belonging to the Russian squadron were disabled.
The most significant events of 1905:
- the largest land battle of Mukden in the history of mankind at that time, which took place on February 5-24 and ended with the withdrawal of the Russian army;
- Tsushima battle at the end of May, culminating in the destruction of the Russian B altic squadron.
Despite the fact that the course of events in this war was perfectly in favor of Japan, she was forced to negotiate peace. This was due to the fact that the country's economy was very depleted by military events. On August 9, a peace conference between the participants in the war began in Portsmouth.
Reasons for Russia's defeat in the war
Despite the fact that the conclusion of the peace treaty determined to some extent the situation in which the Kuril Islands were, the dispute between Russia and Japan did not stop. This caused a significant number of protests in Tokyo, but the consequences of the war were very tangible for the country.
During this conflict, the Russian Pacific Fleet was practically completely destroyed, more than 100 thousand of its soldiers were killed. There was also a stop to the expansion of the Russian state to the East. The results of the war were indisputable evidence of how weak the tsarist policy was.
This was one of the main reasons for the revolutionary actions in 1905-1907
The most important reasons for Russia's defeat in the war of 1904-1905
- The presence of the diplomatic isolation of the Russian Empire.
- Absolute unpreparedness of the country's troops to conduct combat acts in difficult situations.
- Shameless betrayal of domestic stakeholders and mediocrity of most Russian generals.
- High level of development andJapanese military and economic preparedness.
Until our time, the unresolved Kuril issue is a great danger. After World War II, no peace treaty was signed following its results. From this dispute, the Russian people, like the population of the Kuril Islands, have absolutely no benefit. Moreover, this state of affairs contributes to the generation of hostility between countries. It is precisely the speedy resolution of such a diplomatic issue as the problem of the Kuril Islands that is the key to good neighborly relations between Russia and Japan.
