3. NOTE VERBALE presented by the Embassy of Japan in the Russian Federation
regarding visits without visas to the islands of
Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and Habomai aimed at
providing emergency humanitarian assistance

(Provisional Translation)

18 September 1998

The Embassy of Japan in the Russian Federation presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and has the honor to refer to the Tokyo Declaration on Japan-Russia Relations of 13 October 1993, which states the agreement between the Government of Japan and the Government of the Russian Federation to take a series of measures aimed at increasing mutual understanding, including further facilitating mutual visits between Japanese citizens and the residents of the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and Habomai (hereafter referred to as "the Islands"); the exchange of letters of 14 October 1991 between the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics regarding visits to the Islands by Japanese citizens and visits to regions of Japan by the residents of the Islands; and the Note Verbale of 20 April 1993 exchanged between the Embassy of Japan in the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation regarding partial revision and addition of procedures for the above-mentioned visits; and to inform that visits to the Islands by Japanese citizens and visits to regions of Japan by the residents of the Islands with the aim of implementing emergency humanitarian assistance including that in emergency situations such as occurrences of threats to the lives and health of people, and technical cooperation related to such assistance, will be implemented by the procedures provided in the above-mentioned exchange of letters and the Note Verbale.

Visits and cooperation carried out in accordance with these procedures must not be deemed as to prejudice the legal positions of either side regarding any issue pertaining to such visits and cooperation.

The Embassy avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation the assurances of its highest consideration.