Statement by the Prime Minister of Japan and the President of the Russian Federation on the Issue of a Peace Treaty

September 6, 2000

The Prime Minister of Japan and the President of the Russian Federation had thorough negotiations on September 4 and 5 this year in Tokyo on the overall bilateral relationship, including the issue of a peace treaty, with the intention to establish a creative partnership between Japan and Russia consistent with their strategic and geopolitical interests.

Both sides confirmed that the following positive results have been achieved since the Japan-Russia Summit Meeting in Krasnoyarsk in November 1997, where both sides agreed to make their utmost efforts to conclude a peace treaty on the basis of the Tokyo Declaration by the year 2000.

-	The Joint Committee on the Conclusion of a Peace Treaty at the level of Foreign Ministers was established.
-	A sub-committee on border demarcation was established, and active negotiations have been held therein.
-	A sub-committee on joint economic activities was established and is actively working.
-	A program for Japan-Russia cooperation on the development of joint economic activities at the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and Habomai (hereinafter referred to as "the Islands") was signed.
-	The agreement on some matters in the field of fishing operations for living maritime resources was signed and has been successfully implemented.
-	The agreement on so-called free visits to the Islands by procedures, streamlined to the maximum extent possible, has been implemented.
-	Since 1998 the scope of participants in mutual visits between the current residents of the Islands and residents of Japan, which had already been implemented in accordance with the 1991 agreement, has been expanded.
-	The scope of humanitarian assistance that has been implemented in relation to the earthquake disaster in 1994 now includes those cases which require emergency assistance.

Both sides jointly confirmed that it was essential to continue their efforts to realize the Krasnoyarsk Agreement and to promote further strengthening of its positive results to the maximum extent.

Based upon all the agreements that have been reached up to now, including the Tokyo Declaration on Japan-Russia relations signed in 1993 and the Moscow Declaration on Building a Creative Partnership between Japan and the Russian Federation signed in 1998, both sides agreed to continue negotiations to work out a peace treaty "through the solution of the issue of where Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and Habomai Islands belong".
With the intention of raising the efficiency of the negotiation process, they ordered their representatives of the Joint Committee on the Conclusion of a Peace Treaty to take the following measures.

-	To develop new measures to further accelerate the works of the Joint Committee on the Conclusion of a Peace Treaty and the sub-committee on border demarcation,
-	To take steps to prepare a new version of the Joint Compendium of Documents on the History of Territorial Problems between Japan and Russia, especially by including the materials related to the period after 1993,
-	To activate efforts to explain to each nation the importance of the conclusion of a peace treaty.

Mr. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, President of the Russian Federation, invited Mr. Yoshiro Mori, Prime Minister of Japan, to make an official visit to the Russian Federation, to promote further development of bilateral relations between Japan and Russia and the positive advancement of the peace treaty negotiations. Mr. Mori accepted the invitation with appreciation. The period of the visit will be agreed through diplomatic channels.
Both sides recognized that it would be beneficial to take advantage of every possible opportunity to continue active dialogue.
The negotiations were conducted in an atmosphere of honesty, trustworthiness, and mutual respect.

(END)

Back to Index