The organizers of the trip of former Japanese residents of the South Kuril Islands announced the cancellation of the first Charter flight from Japan to this part of the Islands. On Monday, June 19, RIA Novosti reported.
This decision was taken due to weather conditions. The flight was originally scheduled for 18 June, was postponed several times due to fog on the Kuril island of Kunashir and, in the end, was cancelled.
Deputy foreign Minister of Japan Nobuo Kishi told reporters that “the weather conditions have not changed, and there was no other choice but to cancel the trip”. According to him, the government of Japan will make efforts to arrange a new visit to the South Kuril Islands in the course of this year.
June 17 in the village of Nakashibetsu ceremony on the occasion of the first flight between the Japanese island of Hokkaido and the southern Kuril Islands. Speaking at the ceremony, Nobuo Kishi called the opening of this route is a “great step forward” to improve conditions for citizens of the country of Islands.
The desire to organize Charter flights to the southern Islands of the Kuril archipelago, Japan announced in March. These flights are primarily intended for the Japanese, who traditionally visit the area to visit the graves of their ancestors. Visas for tourists this is not required. Currently, the connection of Hokkaido, Kuril Islands is only possible by water.
In December 2016, during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Japan, the two leaders agreed on the document on the beginning of consultations on joint economic activities on Southern Kuriles.
Following the end of world war II between Moscow and Tokyo never signed a peace Treaty. The main obstacle to the signing of the document is the unresolved dispute over the southern Kuril Islands, namely the largest Islands: Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai group.
In Japan, the Southern Kuril Islands called the Northern territories.