CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -Kuril Islands dispute is a territorial dispute between Japan and Russia over a chain of islands in the North Pacific Ocean.

Detailed explanation-2: -Japan and Russia claim their territorial ownership of the land. Presently, as a successor state to the USSR, Russia has occupied the region but Japan continues to stake its claim on the islands.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Kuril Islands with Russian names. Borders of Shimoda Treaty (1855) and Treaty of St. Petersburg (1875) shown in red. Since 1945 all islands northeast of Hokkaido have been administered by Russia.

Detailed explanation-4: -In August 1945, in the final days of the Second World War, Russia took control of the sparsely populated islands and since then has considered the Kuril Islands to be part of the country.

Detailed explanation-5: -The history of the dispute From 1855, when the two Pacific nations established their first official ties, to 1875, when the Treaty of Saint Petersburg was signed between Japan and Russia, the Kulin Islands were divided between the two countries.