1. The Kuril Islands Problem Presentation was made by a second-year student Timoshenko Olga

2. PRESENTATION OUTLINE Introduction Meetings in Protest Some facts from the history 4. Argumentation -Russianarguments -Japanese arguments 5. Possible solution

3. Introduction The impetus for this short essay was the bill adopted by the Japanese Parliament on July 3, 2009. It declared that the Kuril Islands “have always been Japanese territory.” This decision raised strong objections on the Russian side.

4. Meetings in Protest About 750 residents of the Far Eastern city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk protested against Japan’s claim to four disputed Pacific islands. “The islands were, are and will be ours,” said Yuri Andreyev, acting chairman of the city’s council of WWII veterans. We witness tension in relations between the two countries. The aim of this essay is to suggest a solution to the problem of the Kuril Islands that, I hope, will be acceptable to both the Russians and the Japanese.

5. SomeFactsfromHistory Retreat of the Russian Army after the Battle of Mukden The Kuril Islands comprise 56 islands in total and many more minor rocks that stretch from Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula to Japan’s Hokkaido Island. The map shows the geographical position of the islands. Japanese soldiers surrendering to the Red Army.

7. The name of the Islands, under which they are known all over the world, is of Russian origin. discoveryoftheIslands.

8. In World War II, Japan was a faithful ally of fascist Germany.

9. Japan was defeated and must pay for it in the same way as Germany did.

10. As soon as the Kurils are ceded the USA will build military bases on them to deprive Russia of control over the Sea of Okhotsk and greatly undermine the security of Russia on the whole.

12. The Russian government hasn’t cared for these territories or the people living there.

13. Japan is overpopulated; it desperately needs these territories to expand its Lebensraum.

14. The decision to cede the islands will solve the territorial problem forever., which will help increase living standards in the Russian Far East.