Meaning and Location
Kunashir, known in Japan as Kunashiri, is one of the four islands at the centre of the territorial dispute between Russia and Japan.
It lies immediately northeast of Hokkaido, separated from Japan by the Nemuro Strait, and forms part of the southern Kuril island chain.
Russia administers the island as part of Sakhalin Oblast, while Japan claims it as part of its Northern Territories.
Name Difference
The two names reflect competing territorial positions:
- Kunashir: Russian usage
- Kunashiri: Japanese usage
Japan groups Kunashiri with:
as the Four Northern Islands or Northern Territories.
Historical Background
The territorial issue developed through a series of Russo-Japanese agreements and the post-World War II settlement.
Treaty of Shimoda, 1855
The treaty established the boundary between Etorofu and Urup, placing Kunashiri on the Japanese side of the agreed boundary.
Treaty of St. Petersburg, 1875
Japan relinquished claims to Sakhalin in return for sovereignty over the Kuril Islands.
1945 Soviet Occupation
At the end of World War II, Soviet forces occupied Kunashiri and the other disputed southern islands.
The Soviet Union subsequently incorporated them into its territory, and Russia has administered them since the dissolution of the USSR.
Japan contests this outcome and argues that the four Northern Territories were not part of the Kuril Islands renounced under the post-war settlement. Russia considers its sovereignty over them legally established by the outcome of World War II.
Physical Geography
Kunashir is a large volcanic island of approximately 1,490 sq km.
Its landscape includes:
- active and dormant volcanoes;
- volcanic lakes;
- forests;
- coastal cliffs;
- geothermal features.
The island lies within the tectonically active Pacific Ring of Fire.
Its location between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk also gives it considerable ecological and maritime importance.
Economic Importance
The surrounding waters are highly productive fishing grounds because of interaction between cold and warm ocean currents.
Important marine resources include:
- salmon;
- cod;
- pollock;
- crab;
- kelp;
- other commercially valuable seafood.
Historically, the island has also had:
- forestry;
- livestock activity;
- mineral extraction.
Thus, the dispute is not merely symbolic; control also carries significant economic value.
Strategic Importance
Kunashir is strategically important because of its proximity to:
- Hokkaido;
- the Sea of Okhotsk;
- important Pacific maritime routes.
For Russia, control of the southern Kurils contributes to the security of approaches to the Sea of Okhotsk, an important operating area for Russia’s Pacific Fleet and strategic submarines.
The islands also strengthen Russia’s military position in Northeast Asia.
Russia–Japan Territorial Dispute
The unresolved status of Kunashir and the other three islands remains the principal obstacle to a formal Russia–Japan World War II peace treaty.
The two countries restored diplomatic relations through the 1956 Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration, but territorial negotiations never produced a final settlement.
Relations deteriorated sharply after Japan imposed sanctions on Russia following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, after which Moscow suspended peace-treaty negotiations.
Current Context
The dispute remains active in 2026.
Russia continues to exercise effective control over Kunashir and rejects Japan’s sovereignty claim, while Japan continues to formally demand resolution of the status of all four Northern Territories. Recent tensions intensified again following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s August 2026 visit to neighbouring Iturup/Etorofu and subsequent diplomatic protests between Moscow and Tokyo.
Former Japanese residents have also remained unable to resume normal visits to family graves on the Russian-controlled islands since bilateral exchange arrangements were suspended following the deterioration in relations after 2022.
Conclusion
Kunashir/Kunashiri is a Russian-administered, Japanese-claimed island immediately northeast of Hokkaido. Its importance stems from its strategic location, productive fishing grounds and central role in the unresolved Southern Kurils/Northern Territories dispute, which continues to prevent a final Russia–Japan post-war peace settlement.
