Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stressed Thursday the significance of resuming a program for former residents of Russian-held Pacific islands to visit their ancestors¡¯ graves there.
The suspension of the program due to Russia¡¯s invasion of Ukraine is a ¡°humanitarian issue and a top priority in Japan-Russia relations,¡± Takaichi told a meeting at the Prime Minister¡¯s Office with seven junior high school students, including great-grandchildren of former residents of the Japanese-claimed islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan.
At the meeting, Tota Fujisawa, 13, of the Habomai Gakuen municipal school in Nemuro, Hokkaido, asked the government to ¡°make efforts to allow former islanders and bereaved families to visit the graves by making the resumption of visa-free exchanges a primary target.¡±
¡°It¡¯s encouraging that young people are studying this issue with interest,¡± Takaichi replied.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.