“Give back the Northern Territories! You’re illegally occupying our land!” Every year, on February 7, slogans like this blare out through loudspeakers opposite the Russian embassy in Japan. This is the day when Japan celebrates the so-called Northern Territories Day.” This refers to what Russia calls the Southern Kurils — Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and Habomai Islands, — which became part of the Soviet Union after World War 2.
In 2022, a protest staged by rightwing radicals began a day early and resulted in unrest. According to Russian diplomats, “a group of militant young men” attempted to break into the embassy premises and fought with police securing the entrance. The next day, on February 7, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addressed a national rally in Tokyo calling for the return of the Northern Territories.