This issue is part of a typical pattern. Whether regarding the Baltics in the West, the Caucuses in the south, Japan in the East or even Canada in the north Russia is in territorial disputes with its neighbours. The only common factor amongst all of this is Russia itself. Russia likes to wheel out a kind of show of authenticity to justify its aberrant behaviour. For instance, it sought to justify many of Stalin’s random murders by putting on elaborate but legally meaningless show trials. It staged completely bogus elections in the Baltics to produce bogus “governments” which then made bogus applications to “join” the Soviet Union. In the Caucuses Russia’s pretext for dismembering Georgia was the supposed provision of protection to “Russian citizens” to whom it arbitrarily issued passports by the truckload just weeks before. With Japan, Russia declared war against it about 3 days before Japan surrendered to the Allies anyway, and grabbed some of the Kurile Islands as supposed legitimate war booty which it not only presumed merely to occupy, but which, by Stalinist sham legality it actually incorporated into the territory if Russia itself. And in the case of its potential Arctic territorial dispute, bless me if Russia didn’t plant a flag on the sea floor by submarine! Russia is big on the concept of the Potemkin Village. Tsarist minister Grigory Potyomkin is supposed to have fooled Empress Catherine II on her visit to Crimea in 1787 by building hollow facades of villages along the desolate banks of the Dnieper River along which the visitors sailed, to impress the monarch with the value of her new conquests. Modern historians are divided as to whether that story is true, but the Potemkin Village mentality is undoubtedly true. Yet it fools no one other than Russians themselves. Amongst its neighbours it merely elicits irritation and derision, and continues to hugely handicap Russia’s relations with them.

japan and　Soviet（Russia）not have a war. Soviet violated the Japanese-Soviet neutrality pact and entered the war toward Japan. these islands are traditional Japanese territory　and Soviet is unsigned of the San Francisco Peace Treaty. Russia must return our islands.

Historical revisionism is rearing its ugly head right on cue with the advent of western economic downturn. Japan, also predictably, always mimics its colonial western patrons. As usual when discussing Russian foreign policy it is always a matter of how the western propagandist will edit history. Japan first came to blows with Russia over imperial ambitions of BOTH nations. Russia was occupying the frozen wasteland north of the Yalu river looking for a warm water port whereas the Japanese were CRUELLY occupying Korea and Manchuria...as both the Chinese & the Koreans can attest with extreme vehemence. If you ask the Asians of that area which imperial power they detest the most, they will unequivically say 'JAPAN'. The Japanese with (typical) British encouragement challenged the Russians for the dominance of Manchuria. The outcome was the Russo Japanese war which was disasterous for the Russians but also costly for the Japanese. The next encounter between the Japanese & Russians came in the late 1930's which ended in Russian victory at Khalkin Gol with general Zhukov...who later repeated his military prowess on the nazis in Stalingrad. This is when the Japanese sued for peace and all but relinquished their hold on the Kurils. The USSR's attack prior to Japan's surrender just re-confirmed Japan's defeat at Khalkin Gol when Japan was at the height of its military power. I'm always amused by the silence of the neo revisionists on the topic of Okinawa which equally irritates the Japanese citizenry....Nobody is talking about closing that military base. The Georgian fiasco was orchestrated by NATO mercenaries MPRI....Look it up....Just like Croatia &(the fictitious nation of Bosnia) helping to break up Yugoslavia...again...Look it up.. Just remember Russophobia is on the rise and like the Teutonic Knights, Charles, Napolean, Hitler, Tojo, NATO....the new revisionists are busy looking for justification for their new colonial war.

You'd better consider why there are so many Russophobias in the world.

Marizpan6, I see you are up to your same antics. Russia today is not the USSR so save everyone the history lesson. Facts are that many countries still have border disputes everywhere. Whether over Antartica or smalls strips of land, it does not matter. Russia did not break up Georgia. Georgia was never whole since the collapse of the Soviet Union. There was a civil war there and Georgia lost control of those areas long time ago. Instead of wasting time and money with the games, Georgia should just forget them. They did not lose Abkhazia or South Ossetia last year, they lost those territories almost 2 decades ago. Why can they not have the right to self determination when numerous other states got it when the USSR was dissolved? The only reason this is even an issue is because of the pipeline that Western governments want going through Georgia. They have to put up a front (facade) to support other interests of the state they want to build a pipeline in. Japan probably could have the islands returned BUT they keep up the silly antics in their government. Russia has transferred over disputed territory to other countries before (see China) but some of their politicians seem more interested in playing politics at home than negotiating a final solution. People like you and western media outlets continue to try to demonize Russia when they are no better or no worse in their actions than Western nations. Your kind is quick to point out all the bad but never present anything fair and balanced because we can go throught he history of the USA and western Europe and find just as many bad things.

It is from these Kurile Islands that the Japanese navy launched its attack on Pearl harbor. How much would the Japanese give back if they had won the war which they started?