Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday questioned whether Japan had fully embraced the results of World War II when it came to resolving a territorial dispute that could pave the way for a peace treaty.

Speaking during an annual press conference, Lavrov said recognizing the outcome of World War II "is neither an ultimatum nor a precondition" for talks.

"It is an inevitable and indispensable factor in today's international system," said Lavrov. "Why is Japan the only country in the world that cannot accept the result of World War II in their entirety?"

Read more: Can Abe make any headway in territorial row with Russia?

Tokyo wants 'peace'

At the end of World War II, Japan and Russia did not sign a peace treaty. In 1956, they issued a joint declaration that the then-Soviet Union was willing to cede Shikotan and Habomai, two islands that form part of the disputed Kuril Islands the Red Army captured in the final days of the war.

Moscow has urged Japan to accept the document as the basis for negotiations. But Tokyo has repeatedly said Russia is aware of its position in the talks.

"We continue to work persistently based on our basic policy that we aim to resolve the issue of the islands and have peace," said Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga last week.

Read more: Opinion: Germany's illusions about Putin and Russia

The islands were captured by the Soviet Union towards the end of World War II

Troubled waters

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are scheduled to meet in Moscow next week to discuss a settlement, which would pave the way for a peace treaty to formally end World War II hostilities.

Last year, Putin and Abe agreed to accelerate talks for a peace deal. Since then, both countries have witnessed protests; in Russia, demonstrators rallied against ceding control of the islands, while in Tokyo, they called on the government to reclaim the territory.

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Japan's revered war criminals Hideki Tojo Hideki Tojo was Japan's prime minister from 1941 to 1944 and Chief of Staff of the Japanese Imperial Army. He was accused of being responsible for the killing of 4 million Chinese as well as conducting biological experiments on prisoners of war. Following his country's surrender in 1945 he tried to kill himself with a pistol. However, he survived, confessed to the crimes and was hanged in 1948.

Japan's revered war criminals Kenji Doihara The "China expert" began his career in 1912 as a secret agent in Beijing. Doihara, who spoke Mandarin and several Chinese dialects fluently, founded the "Manchurian Empire" together with China's last emperor, Puyi. It was a puppet regime under Japanese control. In 1940, Doihara backed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He was hanged eight years later.

Japan's revered war criminals Iwane Matsui Matsui was accused of being involved in the 1937 Nanjing massacre in which an estimated 300,000 people were killed within a week. Nowadays, historians believe that the decision for the carnage was taken by the imperial family. The family, however, was never charged. A tribunal convicted Matsui of being a "Class B" war criminal. He was executed in 1948.

Japan's revered war criminals Heitaro Kimura In 1939, Kimura waged a brutal war against the armed forces of China's Communist Party in the eastern part of the country. He set up concentration camps in which thousands died. In 1944, he was sent to Burma where he became army commander. He used prisoners of war to build a 415-kilometer-long railway connecting Thailand to Burma. Some 13,000 allied soldiers died. He was hanged in 1948.

Japan's revered war criminals Koki Hirota Hirota was Japan's prime minister until February 1937 and later became foreign minister. He was charged with sanctioning the Nanjing massacre. Hirota (seen here in the middle) was the only civilian politician to be hanged in 1948.

Japan's revered war criminals Seishiro Itagaki On September 18, 1931, Itagaki orchestrated a bomb attack on a railway in the northeastern region of Manchuria. Japan used this as a pretext to declare war on China. Itagaki later fought in North Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia until he surrendered in 1945. He was found guilty of escalating the war and was hanged in 1948.

Japan's revered war criminals Akira Muto Ever since the outbreak of the war, Muto fought in China and was later found guilty of taking part in several atrocities, including the Nanjing massacre. According to the judges, Muto not only let prisoners of war starve but also "tortured and murdered" them.

Japan's revered war criminals Yosuke Matsuoka Under his leadership, Japan left the League of Nations after some member states accused Japan of starting the war against China. Matsuoka was foreign minister between 1940 and 1941 and was one of the co-signers of the Tripartite Pact between Japan, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. In 1946, he died of tuberculosis before being sentenced.

Japan's revered war criminals Osami Nagano Marshal Admiral Osami Nagano, a supporter of the Japanese attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, ordered the attack on December 7, 1941. Twelve US warships either sunk or were badly damaged and more than 2,400 American soldiers were killed. Nagano died of pneumonia in 1946 before he could be tried in the Tokyo war crimes trials.

Japan's revered war criminals Toshio Shiratori He was the head of Japanese propaganda. Shiratori was Japan's ambassador to Italy and pushed for an alliance between his country, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. As an advisor to the foreign minister, he disseminated his fascist ideals both "on and off the stage." Toshio was sentenced to life in prison where he died in 1949.

Japan's revered war criminals Kiichiro Hiranuma Hiranuma was Japan's prime minister from January to August 1939. During this time Japan strengthened its ties with Germany and Italy. Kiichiro was later considered to be one of Emperor Hirohito's closest advisors. He was sentenced to life in prison, but was released in 1952. He died that same year.

Japan's revered war criminals Kuniaki Koiso Koiso was Japan's prime minister between July 1944 and April 1945, and served in China and North Korea. He was sentenced to life in prison although the tribunal was of the view he didn't take direct part in the atrocities committed by the military. The judges, however, ruled that he had been in a position to put a stop to them. Koiso died of cancer in 1950 while serving his jail sentence.

Japan's revered war criminals Yoshijiro Umezu From 1939 to 1945, Umezu was in command of the 700,000-strong Guandong Army based in northeastern China. Although he opposed a Japanese surrender shortly before the end of the war, Umezu (seen here in uniform in the first row) was ordered by the emperor to sign the document of unconditional surrender on September 2, 1945. He was sentenced to life in prison and died in jail in 1949.

Japan's revered war criminals Shigenori Togo Togo was an expert on Germany. He spoke German, studied German philology, married a German and was appointed Japan's ambassador to Germany in 1937. He was appointed foreign minister in 1941 and again in 1945, when he advised the Japanese government to surrender. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and died in 1950 while in jail. Author: Hao Gui / gd



ls/rc (Reuters, AFP)