The Northern Territories, Four Islands Frozen in Time

Eighty years after the end of World War II, hope for the return of the Northern Territories to Japan is waning. With the number of former residents now less than 5,000, memories of life on the islands are disappearing. 

Yuzu Matsumoto still remembers the flowers on the island of Etorofu where he was born. He was four when Soviet troops invaded his hometown and displaced its residents. "We have lost too much," Matsumoto laments. 

Shortly after Japan declared an end to the war on August 15, 1945, Soviet forces occupied Etorofu and three other islands off the coast of Hokkaido. More than 17,000 islanders were forced to move. Eight decades later, Matsumoto, now 84, still feels that his home has been taken from him. 

Up in the cold North of Japan, the Cold War has never really ended. The Northern Territories, comprising the islands of Etorofu, Habomai (which is actually a group of islets), Shikotan, and Kunashiri, have been under Russian control since 1945. The dispute over their sovereignty has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from signing a peace treaty that would formally end World War II. Over the years, countless rounds of talks between Russia and Japan to solve the issue have raised hope, but have gone nowhere.

On a clear day, the closest part of the Northern Territories, Kaigara Island, can be seen from Cape Nosappu, the easternmost point of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost prefecture. The uninhabited islet with an abandoned lighthouse is only 3.7 kilometers away. On the Hokkaido side, a monument has been erected to remind visitors of the lost land. Not many seem to pay attention these days.

Waning Interest

Matsumoto is alarmed that the issue is slipping from public view. He thinks the government should strengthen awareness, nationally and internationally. "Territories are a matter of national sovereignty," he insists. 

Matsumoto's father worked as a postmaster on Etorofu, the largest of the disputed islands. The family was forced to stay for two years under Soviet rule. Only in 1947 were they evacuated to Hakodate in Hokkaido. Many of the stories of life on Etorofu before 1945 were passed down from Matsumoto's father to his son, who is now the director of the Association of Residents of Chishima and Habomai Islands. 

The association is facing an uphill struggle. Only about 4,900 former Japanese residents of the Northern Territories are still alive, down from more than 17,000 in 1945. Moreover, the average age of the former islanders is now 89. Many wonder whether they will live to see the day that the islands are returned to Japan. 

Matsumoto wishes that the Japanese government would make more of an effort to pressure Russia to return Etorofu and three other islands known as the Northern Territories.

"We are appealing to our government to reopen peace treaty negotiations soon and set a path forward for the return of the islands," he says. 

Russian Provocation 

Matsumoto's wish seems to become less and less realistic. Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has taken an increasingly hard line in the territorial dispute. In April 2023, it declared the resident association (Chishima Renmei), which Matsumoto heads, as "an undesirable organization." It also unilaterally suspended the agreement that allowed former inhabitants of the islands and their families to visit the graves of their ancestors, an arrangement that had been in place since 1964. 

To add to the provocation, in May 2025, Russia stepped up military exercises around the disputed islands despite Japan's protests.

Grave Visits

To address the situation of the former residents, Hokkaido Prefecture will dispatch ships from the port of Nemuro on seven occasions in July and August, giving families a chance to hold memorial services near the islands. "Visiting the graves of our ancestors is at the root of our movement," Matsumoto insists. This is now the fourth year in a row to conduct the initiative for former islanders. 

National Park

It is unclear how the situation for the families will be next year. Matsumoto nevertheless insists that "stronger diplomacy" is needed to make progress on the issue. He has a clear idea for the future of the islands in case they are returned to Japan. "Etorofu is known as the island of lakes, marshes, and wetlands," he explains. 

Given its unique flora and fauna, Etorofu and the other islands should be turned into a national park, like Shiretoko National Park. The park at the northeastern tip of Hokkaido attracts over a million visitors each year. From the observatory on Shiretoko Pass, the mountain peaks of the disputed Kunashiri Island can often be seen across the Nemuro Strait. So close and yet so far. 

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Author: Agnes Tandler