This is the first editorial in this week's issue of the Sakhalin Times.

Last week’s rally against the proposed handover of Shikotan and Habomai to Japan was one of the largest shows of unity and solidarity that Sakhalin has ever witnessed. The people of Sakhalin unanimously decided that Russia must not return any territory to Japan. Sakhalin apparently guards Russia’s territorial integrity with ardour. There were even reports of protests in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk a few weeks ago, against Russia’s handover of two islands on the Amur River to China. Patriotic fervour has reached an all time high in Sakhalin.

Nationalistic zeal and jingoism in these parts may prove to be very dangerous for Russia. A “militia” is being formed to “defend Russian land.” There are enough frustrated (and bored) young people in Sakhalin who are ready to rebel against the establishment. It’s extremely worrying that political parties are taking advantage of the situation. While the governor hasn’t publicly expressed his views on the possible handover of the islands, the Sakhalin Duma has already denounced the proposal. Now that the pro-Kremlin Edina Rossiya party doesn’t control the Sakhalin Duma anymore, there will be more active opposition to proposals from Moscow on this sensitive issue.

With all this talk of resistance from Sakhaliners, one major fact seems to have been overlooked. Japan has completely rejected the offer of Shikotan and Habomai. Russia and Japan are both eager to sign a World War 2 peace treaty before they celebrate 150 years of diplomatic relations. A peace treaty however looks like a distant dream at the moment.

President Putin’s meeting with the Japanese prime minister in Chile was merely symbolic and the leaders barely discussed the Kuril Island dispute. The Japanese prime minister is under too much political pressure to accept Russia’s proposal and renounce claims to Kunashir and Iturup. Japan hasn’t even welcomed the latest Kremlin initiative and is sticking to its rigid position.

Tokyo’s refusal to even consider a compromise must be an eye-opener for Sakhaliners. The uninhabited islands that Russia offered Japan will most likely stay with Russia for a very long time. The opening of an Orthodox church in Iturup is as good an indication as any that Russia considers Iturup an inseparable part of the country. Without Iturup and Kunashir, Japan will not sign a peace treaty with Russia.

Looking at Moscow’s proposals from a purely objective point of view: What are a few miniscule uninhabited islands worth for the people of Sakhalin? How does the fact they are under Russian control make the lives of ordinary Sakhaliners any better? The politicians and residents of Sakhalin have been over-reacting to Moscow’s proposals. Such strong protests would have even been understandable if Japan, at least in principle, accepted the proposals. Russia and Japan are however still on square one. If Sakhaliners can show a similar level of unity, passion and intensity in their struggle against all perceived injustices on the island, then they would face far less problems than they do now.

This is the first editorial in this week's issue of the Sakhalin Times

The Russian Government’s willingness to hand over Shikotan and Habomai to Japan has infuriated the people of Sakhalin. The very concept of ceding territory which was won in a “bloody war” has got Sakhalin up in arms. The fact is that Russia and Japan are no closer to signing a World War 2 peace treaty now than they were when Nikita Khrushchev suggested that the USSR would give Japan the two uninhabited islands. President Putin offered Japan these islands in 2001 in exchange for a peace treaty and Japan rejected the offer.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry continues to maintain that the country wants all 4 southern Kurils returned. This might look like an uncompromising stance, but Japan maintains that it has made enough compromises. Before 1945, Russia and the world officially recognised southern Sakhalin as Japanese territory. The Japanese feel that official recognition of ‘Karafuto’ as Russian territory was their final compromise.

While China seemed content with the handover of two uninhabited Amur islands, Japan is unlikely to sign a peace treaty until Russia agrees to hand over Iturup and Kunashir. This leaves both countries at square one. Like an analyst pointed out, it would be difficult for Russia and Japan to celebrate 150 years of diplomatic relations when the countries are still officially in a state of war.

Both Russia and Japan are under enormous political pressure not to compromise too much on this sensitive issue. The big difference between the two countries is the fact that the Japanese Government can’t make a decision and just impose it on the people. If Russia does surrender the two islands, the outrage in Sakhalin will die down after a couple of months as public memory in Sakhalin, like in other regions of Russia, is quite short.

The Russian Government and President Putin need to be applauded for their pragmatic approaches to solving Russia’s international issues. Gone is the bellicosity and aggression of the past. This is as fair a solution as Japan can expect from Russia. There is no need to remind the Japanese Government that victors in a war rarely return their proceeds to the vanquished. For years, Japan could play the economics and development card with Russia, but the situation has changed with the rise of the Red Dragon. China’s coming of age as a global player has changed all equations into Russia’s favour. It is very much in Japan’s economic interests to accept Russia’s proposals and sign a formal peace treaty. It’s not just China that Japan is competing with for Russian energy reserves. America, APEC countries, India and many European countries are all seeking a bigger piece of the Sakhalin pie and Russian resources. Japan needs to be more pragmatic and flexible in its dealings with Russia not to lose out on bigger benefits.

This is the second editorial in this week's issue of the Sakhalin Times

Sakhalin Vice-Governor Victor Nagorniy called the christening of the Orthodox Church in Iturup an “important event in Russian history.” Since Iturup only became a part of Russia after World War 2, no churches were constructed on the island. The sparsely populated island’s Cossacks claim to be “devout followers” of the Orthodox religion.

Unfortunately in Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, the church doesn’t have mass appeal. A visit at any given time to Yuzhno’s Orthodox Church paints a grim picture. The lovely building was renovated last year and is well maintained, but there are hardly ever more than 20 people in the church even when important services are held. The vast majority of the patrons are senior citizens.

Two years ago, a scandal involving embezzlement of church renovation funds, virtually killed interest among young people to go to the church. The church has been plagued by allegations of corruption since that scandal. Young Sakhaliners often hesitate to go inside the church, lest they be called out for doing something wrong by self-righteous Babushkas. Many people also feel that the church doesn’t allow freedom of thought and tries to “control” them. This is indeed a sad plight for a mystic and beautiful religion.

For a small city Yuzhno has followers of several faiths including Buddhism, Bahaism and even members of the Hare Krishna movement. This isn’t to say that Christianity is a failure in Sakhalin. The Korean Church, Catholic Church and several other churches are extremely active in the city. All these different religious groups openly welcome outsiders and try and connect with them. A few Sakhaliners have even become Mormons.

The decline of the Orthodox Church can be felt right across Russia and the church is moving towards a greater role in politics. The canonisation of Czar Nicholas II a few years marked the official entry of the church into politics. The church often complains of other religions poaching their followers and has on several occasions pressurised the Kremlin to draft laws that restrict religious freedom.

It’s unfortunate that the church is adamant on not allowing Pope John Paul to visit Russia. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have privately admitted that the Dalai Lama has been refused visas to Russia more out of bullying from the church than from Chinese pressure. Now the church wants the government to clamp down on pagan movements which are becoming increasingly popular in Russia.

The church authorities do their cause no good when they accuse all other religions of being false and try and prevent young people from choosing their own paths. If the Orthodox Church leaders don’t reform their overzealous and even domineering ways, they will destroy a beautiful institution. An institution that even survived Stalin and 70 years of state-enforced Atheism.

This is the first editorial in this week's issue of the Sakhalin Times.

The Governor’s Japan Proposals

Ahead of President Putin’s visit to Japan, Sakhalin Governor Ivan Malakhov made a few excellent suggestions to the Kremlin. First of all, he recommended that the Hokkaido-Kuril Island visa-free programme be extended to all Sakhalin residents. Japan would agree to such a request on the condition Russia offers the same facility for Hokkaido residents to visit Sakhalin. Such a move could fuel a massive tourism boom. Sakhaliners have paid the price of isolation for a long time and a visa-waiver to visit Japan would give the islanders much needed foreign exposure. This would lead to more air connections and make travelling to Japan far less expensive. At the same time, there would be a large influx in tourist arrivals to Sakhalin. Given the Japanese propensity to spend, Sakhalin could rake in the profits. Japanese tourists have become more adventurous and would benefit from Sakhalin’s nature.

The next suggestion is the joint-development of the Kuril Islands, including the lower Kuril range. This proposal is likely to meet opposition in both Russia and Japan. The bitter dispute over the 4 lower Kuril Islands is the reason that Russia and Japan are still officially in a state of war. Many politicians including Japan’s charming External Affairs Minister, Yoriko Kawaguchi, have claimed that economic cooperation can only expand between the two countries if the Kuril Island dispute is solved.

There have been rumours that President Putin might reach an agreement on the Kuril Islands that would satisfy Japan. Just two weeks ago, the Russian President renounced Russian sovereignty over the two islands on the Amur River and handed them to China. If business interests necessitated the President to hand over the islands, the Japanese think tank speculates that Russia might be willing to hand over 2 of the Kuril Islands to Japan.

There are big differences between Russia’s disputes with Japan and China. While the 2 Amur islands didn’t have much strategic importance, the lower Kuril Islands are an important gateway into the Pacific Ocean for Russia’s Pacific Fleet. Many among the top Russian military brass look at Japan as a staunch American ally and still have the cold war mentality. Another glaring difference is that the Amur islands were uninhabited, whereas the lower Kurils have patriotic Russian citizens including the at-times jingoistic Cossacks, who fear losing their home to Japanese settlers. Finally, it’s no secret that there are nuclear installations in the lower Kurils. If President Putin does sign away the lower Kurils in January, he will be met with much more opposition than when he handed the Amur islands to China.

The Governor’s most important proposal was to have joint anti-poaching operations. Japan is the largest beneficiary of the Russian Far East’s One Billion dollar salmon and caviar poaching industry. Poaching in Sakhalin poses a serious risk to the salmon population around the world. The last unpolluted Salmon spawning rivers are in Sakhalin and Kamchatka. It’s important that the Russian and Japanese authorities clamp down on the Russo-Japanese caviar mafia. It’s poor living conditions in the Russian Far East along with corruption and what most fishermen claim are unfair quotas that have caused the illegal trade to thrive. With Japanese help, Russia needs to simultaneously clamp down on this mafia and raise the standard of living in the Russian Far East.

Let’s hope Moscow seriously considers Governor Malakhov’s proposals as these proposals lead to a win-win situation for Sakhalin, Russia and Japan.