Japan is not considering a Russian idea to evenly divide the land area of a string of islands that the two countries have been disputing for some 60 years, a top government spokesman said yesterday.
Earlier this week, the Mainichi Shimbun reported that a Russian foreign ministry official had raised the idea during casual talks in Moscow with a visiting Japanese politician in November.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told reporters, how-ever, that such a solution was not on the table.
"The Japanese government has not offered such a proposal, nor is it considering such a proposal," Shiozaki said.
Shiozaki added that any mention of the idea by the Russian official during the November talks was probably brought up as an example of how the dispute might be solved rather than as a formal proposal.
Russia captured the four-island chain -- known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Kuril islands in Russia -- from Japan during the closing days of World War II. Tokyo has constantly demanded that Moscow cede all four islands, which are surrounded by rich fishing grounds.
Tensions between the countries flared in August when Russian patrol boats fatally shot a Japanese fisherman and seized a vessel in the disputed northern waters. Leaders from both sides have since called for territorial negotiations to be accelerated so a peace treaty can be signed.
Last month, Foreign Minister Taro Aso told parliament that Japan could consider the idea of splitting the islands by total area. Such a division would give Japan three of the islands and a quarter of the largest, northernmost island, Etorofu, he said, but later denied that Japan had officially pushed for that solution.
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