MOSCOW, November 10. /TASS/. The scandal surrounding Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories (the name for the southern part of the Kuril Islands in Japan) Affairs Hitoshi Kikawada, who referred to these territories as foreign, is Japan’s domestic matter, but the territorial status of these islands belonging to Russia should not be questioned by anyone, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"We have seen the media reports. This is Japan's domestic matter. The territorial status of these islands should not be questioned by anyone," the spokesman said.
Earlier, it was reported that on November 8, Kikawada conducted a remote inspection of the southern Kuril Islands from Cape Nosappu, the northeasternmost point of Japan, located in the city of Nemuro (northern Hokkaido Prefecture). This is a common practice for Japanese officials. During the inspection, he said: "After all, [we are] closest to foreign countries here." The official's statement caused an ambiguous reaction because it could be interpreted as "acknowledging the islands' belonging to Russia." In this regard, he was rebuked by the Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary, the second-highest ranking official in the government.
