Japan reaffirms sovereignty over Kuril islands, annexed by Russia in 1945
The Kuril islands runs from Japan to Russia, separating the Okhotsk sea from the Pacific ocean. Annexed by Russia after World War II and administered by it since, the southernmost islands in the chain remain a Japanese claim—and on Monday, the long-running feud erupted with an unusually forthright announcement by Japan's prime minister. — Read the rest