Japan recalls its ambassador to Russia in response to Medvedev's visit to Kuril Islands

Japan is temporarily recalling its ambassador to Russia in connection
with the visit of Dmitry Medvedev to the Kuril Islands, RIA Novosti
reports, with reference to the agency Kyodo.

The Russian President arrived in Kunashir - the southernmost island of
the Great Kuril Islands - on the 1st of November. Medvedev made his
first visit the Kuril Islands due to the dispute over its ownership,
as Moscow and Tokyo have been unable to sign a peace treaty since
1945.

The Prime Minister of Japan, Naoto Kan, yesterday expressed his regret
over the visit of Medvedev to the Kurils, while the Japanese Foreign
Minister summoned the Russian ambassador, Mikhail Bely, and handed him
a protest from the Japanese side.

Moscow described  the reaction of Tokyo to the visit of the Russian
President to the Kurils as “unacceptable”. In particular, the Russian
Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, said that "we're not going to take
any steps that would impede Russian-Japanese cooperation, but the
Japanese side, of course, have to come to conclusions for themselves."

The Russian Foreign Ministry has rejected the attempts of Tokyo to
obstruct the visit of the Russian President to the Kuril islands,
noting that the Russian head cannot "independently determine his
routes of travel across the country."

Nevertheless, it is possible that President Medvedev and Prime
Minister Kan will meet during the APEC summit, a spokesman for the
Kremlin said.