Japan has decided to postpone until the end of the year the program of visa-free exchanges between Japanese prefectures and the southern part of the Kuril Islands, the Agency Kyodo.
According to him, all the planned activities will be suspended because of the situation with the spread of coronavirus. Just this year, expected nine such trips.
In April, the government of Japan has postponed the start of season visa-free exchanges.
The program of visa-free exchanges has been operating since 1992 under an intergovernmental agreement to improve mutual understanding between peoples of the two countries. Trips are coordinated and implemented annually from may to October. Since the inception of the exchange in Japan, was visited by more than 8 thousand inhabitants of the Islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri and Shikotan, and the southern part of the Kuril Islands was visited by over 18 thousand Japanese.
In June, Japan made a submission to Russia for exploration work in the area of the Kuril Islands. The work carried out in the Okhotsk sea, including the Islands of Kunashir, Shikotan, Iturup and Habomai. While Moscow previously warned Tokyo about exploration, which was to go three months.
