TOKYO -- Tensions over Ukraine have thrown up another obstacle to Japan's decades-long pursuit of a return of islands under Russian control, even as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vows to continue a dialogue with Moscow, observers say.
"I will carry on the discussions started by our countries' leaders in 2018," Kishida said Monday during a rally in Tokyo. The annual event demanded Russia return the islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan, occupied by Soviet forces in the waning days of World War II.
