Russia dismisses Japan's protest over Kuril Islands

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Moscow dismissed on Friday Japan's protest over an official Russian visit to the Kuril Islands.

Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has recently visited several regions in the Far East, including the Kuril Islands, a disputed territory between the two countries.

"This is our land, this is the region of the Russian Federation, these islands are part of the Sakhalin region," Medvedev told the media during his visit to Iturup Island in southern Kurils.

The signing of a peace treaty between Russia and Japan is hampered by the territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands, which has not been resolved since World War II.

Tokyo considers several islands its own and regularly protests over visits of Russian officials to the islands, while Moscow insists the Kurils became its territory in 1945.

Russian authorities are concerned over the possible deployment of U.S. missile systems on the islands if they are returned to Japan.