OREANDA-NEWS. The Japanese government would like to achieve peace with Russia during the new era of rave (“harmony” or “blooming world”) that came to the country with the coming to power of Emperor Naruhito. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Taro Kono, reports Russian source. “If possible, we would like to solve two problems in the course of the Rave era — conclude a peace treaty with Russia and return citizens abducted by North Korea to their homeland,” the minister said in a televised speech.

He added that in the previous era, Heisei (“achieving peace”) Japan did not enter into wars and in the new era would also make efforts to continue the “era of peace”. In January of this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a regular round of talks on the issue of peace between the countries. According to their results, Putin said that the condition for peace is the final recognition of Tokyo’s outcome of the Second World War.

The peace treaty between Russia and Japan has not been signed for more than 70 years. Tokyo calls it a condition of the return of the islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai under its control: the Japanese side does not recognize Russian sovereignty over the territory of the South Kuriles, considering them to be part of Hokkaido. Moscow considers them part of the Kuril Islands and consistently recalls the legality of Russian sovereignty over them: they withdrew to the USSR at the end of the Second World War.

Previously, Japan was accompanying Emperor Akihito, and with it the Heisei era - so called his reign, which began 31 years ago. For many Japanese, a large part of their life is connected with this historical period, and the whole of life for the younger generation.