Japan-Russia talks bring no progress on island dispute

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/28/us-russia-japan-idUSBRE86R0EQ20120728

Japan wants Russia to hand over four islands at the southern end of the Kuril chain that were occupied by Soviet forces at the end of the war in 1945, saying they are Japanese territory.

Moscow disagrees, and senior Russian officials have drawn protests from Japan in the past two years by traveling to the Pacific islands, which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan calls the Northern Territories.