Japan swung at Sakhalin, and Russia needs to demand the return of the island of Hokkaido: historically it is ours. Hokkaido: A Very Different Japan Island Short Tour

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The story of the confiscation of deposits in Cyprus had unexpected consequences for a completely different island. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev suggested that Russia create its own offshore in the Far East, and billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov went even further - in his opinion, our country needs sign a peace treaty with Japan in exchange for turning the Kuriles into a joint economic zone. So, in which the topic of belonging to the Kuril Islands has already been raised ...

In fact, Russian society has long given its answer about the southern Kuriles - to understand this, it is enough to compare in public opinion polls the ratings of the one who returned the Kuriles to Russia and those statesmen who promised to "return" them to the Japanese.

Concretely, Comrade Stalin took the Kuriles physically and roughly. Khrushchev promised to transfer the two southern islands of the Kuril chain to the Japanese sometime in the future. It is enough to compare the attitude in Russia towards these two characters to make everything clear. Even in the Memorial society, in the editorial office of Novaya Gazeta and in the kitchen of Novodvorskaya, no one will dare to assert that the rating of Iosif Vissarionovich in Russian society is lower than that of Nikita Sergeevich ...

But they will say - what do ratings and public opinion polls have to do with it, if we are talking about specific agreements between states and international law? But in the specific case with the two islands of the southern Kuriles (or "northern territories" in Japanese), public opinion is just very much at that. To understand this clearly, let us briefly consider the history of the issue.

Until 1945, the history of the state borders of Russia and Japan was different. Let me remind you that under Empress Catherine II, in St. Petersburg, when they did the so-called “Spatial Land Description of the Russian State”, in general, not only all the Kuriles, but also the island of Hokkaido were included in the empire. At that time, the Japanese not only did not populate it, but did not even control it, fighting with the indigenous population in the south of Hokkaido and in the north of even more southern Honshu. As a result of the expedition of Ivan Antipin and Dmitry Shabalin in 1778-79, the local natives, the Ainu, who lived in the north of Hokkaido, were considered subjects of the Russian Empire. The Kuriles themselves were explored and taxed by Russian Cossacks a century earlier, back in the middle of the 17th century.

Alexander I, in his letter to the Japanese emperor dated July 30, 1803, called the inhabitants of the Kuril Islands "his subjects", which at that time did not cause any objection from the Japanese side, let alone official protest. Until the end of the 18th century, Japan showed no interest in either Sakhalin or the Kuril Islands. Even the island of Hokkaido was officially considered a foreign territory in Japan, such as, for example, Korea. The first Japanese who arrived in Kunashir and Iturup in 1786 met local residents there who bore Russian names and surnames. These were the descendants of those Ainu who accepted Orthodoxy and Russian citizenship in the first half of the 18th century.

As you can see, if we take the long history of the development of this region by Russia and Japan, then we can easily lay claim not only to all the Kuriles, but also to the north of Hokkaido. And it is beautiful and snowy there, just like in Siberia - Japanese macaques bask in thermal springs in winter, amusingly brushing snow off their heads. In order to avoid accusations of extremism and ethnic strife, I clarify that Japanese macaques are not citizens of Japan, namely “macaca fuscata”, primates from the marmoset family ...

Japan officially announced its claims to the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin only in 1845. That immediately caused an official objection from Emperor Nicholas I. However, after the defeat in the Crimean War, a weakened Russia was forced to cede the southern part of the Kuriles to the Japanese. Then there was a defeat in the war with Japan itself, when in 1905 Russia also lost southern Sakhalin.

By the way, the Bolsheviks, concluding an agreement on diplomatic relations with the Japanese in 1925, made an official reservation that, recognizing the actual borders established by force, they condemn the former tsarist government, which gave Russian lands to Japan.

By August 1945, the borders of the "Land of the Rising Sun" covered both southern Sakhalin and all the Kuriles, and even both of today's Koreas, southern and northern. But this Japanese luxury was canceled by the results of the Second World War. It is symbolic that this happened exactly 100 years after Tokyo first announced official claims to Russian lands. The troops of the USSR solved the Russian-Japanese territorial issue by force. Let's not be hypocritical - the right of force has always and everywhere been a direct and honest basis for the cunning legal casuistry of international law.

Since 1945, all previous rights and claims have been nullified - from now on they are of interest only from the point of view of the science of history. The countdown, thanks to Comrade Stalin, started anew.

Since then, Japanese claims have had only one basis and pretext - this is the so-called "Joint Declaration of the USSR and Japan" of October 19, 1956. With this document, following the results of negotiations between the Japanese delegation and Khrushchev, the Soviet Union and Japan officially announced the end of the state of war and restored diplomatic relations, interrupted in 1945.

Article 9 of this document reads: “The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, meeting the wishes of Japan and taking into account the interests of the Japanese state, agrees to the transfer of the Habomai Islands and the Shikotan Islands to Japan, however, that the actual transfer of these islands to Japan will be made after the conclusion of the Peace Treaty between the Union Soviet Socialist Republics and Japan.

We will not delve into the brain convolutions of Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, who in such an intricate way tried to induce the Japanese to oppose American military bases on their territory. In the context of global Soviet-American rivalry with the threat of nuclear war, Khrushchev and the company considered that the two southernmost Kuril Islands were worth eliminating the American military bases in Japan that threatened the USSR. That is why the transfer of the two islands was planned only after the signing of the official Peace Treaty. They were already going to sign such an agreement with Japan, in which there is no US military presence.

But the gentlemen from Washington were in no hurry (and, by the way, are still in no hurry) to give up their rights won in 1945. The US military and American atomic weapons have not left Japan, and Okinawa is still operating as the unsinkable aircraft carrier of the USA Army. In response, the USSR was in no hurry to sign a peace treaty with Tokyo.

Since then, we have been living happily and living in a state of "no peace, no war." The Japanese, based on the "Joint Declaration" of 1956, periodically state their claims. And here it is time to consider what this declaration is from the point of view of the very international law that guides states in peacetime.

The "Joint Declaration" is not a Peace Treaty - this is expressly stated in its text. The USSR generally referred this document not to international treaties, but to documents of a lower kind - it is not by chance that the declaration was officially published not in a collection of international treaties, but in the collection “Declarations, statements and communiqués of the Soviet government with the governments of foreign states”.

What is important, this declaration was concluded long before the USSR and Japan recognized the UN Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties of 1969. This convention prescribes that international agreements cannot be terminated and changed unilaterally without mutual consent.

However, Khrushchev's 1956 declaration does not fall within the scope of these norms. Moreover, let's take a closer look at the basis on which this document speaks of the possibility of transferring the two islands to the Japanese. There is only one reason: the good will of the USSR, which, "meeting the wishes of Japan and taking into account the interests of the Japanese state, agrees to ..."

Yes, the Russian Federation is the legal successor of the USSR, including according to this declaration. Continuity in this particular issue was confirmed in 1992 at the request of Japan by the Yeltsin government, which had high hopes for Japanese loans and "investments." It is not worth reminding what public ratings Mr. Yeltsin had both during his lifetime and after his death... we inherited not only duties, but also rights, including those under this Declaration of 1956.

So, again, from the point of view of the current norms of international law, nothing obliges us to always meet the wishes and always take into account the interests of another state. It is precisely our right to go and take into account (or not go and not take into account). In 1956, for some reason, they went and took into account - but the Japanese were then afraid to conflict with the United States because of military bases and did not take advantage of this generous gesture of the USSR.

Almost sixty years later, in the new century, nothing but good will obliges us to forever show our generosity and endlessly prolong precisely Article 9 of the Joint Declaration of the USSR and Japan. The Russian Foreign Ministry has every right to notify Tokyo even today that Russia no longer finds a desire "to meet the wishes of Japan and take into account the interests of the Japanese state in relation to the Habomai Islands and Shikotan Island." No norms of international law prevent this.

And to increase the pressure on Tokyo, you can remember the maps of the times of Catherine II. Shaking ancient scrolls and manuscripts is normal and common practice in such matters. And the indignant public of Russia, in response to Japanese claims, could well have voiced the slogan “Hokkaido is a Russian island!”. At the same time, it is worth recalling to the Japanese the actual genocide of the Ainu. It is in official diplomacy that one should be prim and restrained, always with a tie, but in “people's” diplomacy, the more radical the shirt tear on the chest, the better. . And this is the right tactic. Indeed, in such disputes, the old rule works especially well - the best defense is an offensive ...

The modern government of the Russian Federation will never do such a thing, and not because it does not have the strength and means, but only because of the lack of political will. For Mr. Putin's government, issues of Russian borders and lands, unlike business issues, are not a priority. They will defend their business and their power bloodily and zealously, and the issues of our borders are secondary for them.

Any other Russian government, different in character from the governments of Yeltsin and Putin, is able to remove the issue of "disputed" territories from current politics within one working day.

And in order for everything to be completely within the framework of the UN norms generally accepted today, it is enough to hold a referendum in the Russian Federation on whether today the multinational people of the Russian Federation agree with the decision of Nikita Khrushchev "to meet the wishes of Japan and take into account the interests of the Japanese state." Given the ratings of Khrushchev and Stalin, the answer is obvious.

There will be nothing to object to such a decision within the framework of the norms of international law in Japan. Only the right of force will remain. But for now, the islands are ours and by this right, the right of the winner.

In contrast to the usual appearance of people of the Mongoloid race with dark skin, the Mongolian fold of the eyelid, sparse facial hair, the Ainu had unusually thick hair covering their heads, wore huge beards and mustaches (holding them with special sticks while eating), Australoid features of their faces some features were similar to European ones.

[more photos at the end of the post]

No sooner had Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to Japan come to an end than Tokyo took up the old - it again raised the issue of belonging to the Kuril Islands. And he did it in a sharper, more radical format, mentioning the island of Sakhalin in the context. Russia's willingness to compromise on the territorial issue was seen as a weakness, and therefore a pretext for attacking actions on the diplomatic front. Adding to the heat of the debate is the imminent election, in which incumbent Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expects to win with a tough stance. Russia, although deploying an additional military contingent in the disputed territories, is more likely to lose politically, remaining on the defensive. [ In this I completely disagree with the author. - my approx.] The way out of the situation could be a symmetrical demand - the question of ownership of the island of Hokkaido, where subjects of the Russian Empire once lived.

Retired diplomat Yoshike Mine spoke in detail about the views of the Japanese political establishment on the problem of settling the so-called "northern territories" in an interview with the influential publication Toyo Keizai. According to him, the problem has two levels. “In a narrow sense, the issue of the ‘Northern Territories’ refers to four islands. In a broader context, to Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands,” Mine noted. At the same time, he gave the Japanese name for Sakhalin - Karafuto. At the same time, the diplomat made a reservation that in the discussions in the parliament, the Japanese government is talking about only four islands: Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup. Mine also recalled that Russia had already declared its readiness to return Habomai and Shikotan. That is, the Japanese consider the transfer of the two southern islands a matter of principle decided. Broader territorial claims, including Sakhalin, are the maximum task for them.

The fact that such speeches are made by a non-acting civil servant does not mean at all that his words should not be given importance. In the Western political tradition, it is considered normal to give odious ideas to formally inactive, but authoritative politicians. They are used as an element of pressure in negotiations and a subject for political bargaining. Let us recall the numerous foreign policy missions of Carter or Kissinger. The defeated Japanese learn from the winners - the Yankees. Arguing his position in an interview with references to historical treaties and post-war diplomatic conflicts, Mine seeks to create the impression that Russia has no right to the South Kuriles and, in conclusion, appeals to the United States as an external force, calling for Japan and Russia to intervene in bilateral negotiations.

At first glance, the position of our Foreign Ministry is impeccable: the continuation of negotiations on the islands is possible only after Japan recognizes the results of the Second World War - Russian sovereignty over the "disputed territories" and the signing of a peace treaty. That is, “money in the morning - chairs in the evening”, and not vice versa. Although the transfer of Japan (suppose!) the two southern islands, albeit as a gesture of goodwill, is unlikely to find understanding among the Russians. Even if the notorious peace treaty is signed. The Japanese, however, are not satisfied with this, largely one-sided, option. Realizing this on the eve of his visit, Sergei Lavrov said that official Moscow demands clarity from Tokyo on this issue. However, the recent remark of the Russian President, told to journalists after a direct line that "a compromise can and will be found someday," seems to have once again inspired the politicians of the Land of the Rising Sun. Kommersant's sources at the Russian embassy in Tokyo also say the same.

Diplomatic games are taking place against the backdrop of Russia strengthening its defense capabilities in the region. Earlier it was reported that the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation will deploy coastal missile systems "Bal" and "Bastion" in the Kuril Islands, as well as a group of new generation drones. This will happen as part of the planned rearmament of formations and military units stationed here. In addition, in April, sailors of the Pacific Fleet will set off on a three-month expedition to the islands of the Greater Kuril Ridge. The statement by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu that the strengthening of the Russian military infrastructure in the southern Kuril Islands "would be incompatible with the position of Japan" looks harsh and leaves no room for compromise. Deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation added fuel to the fire, proposing to use the image of the disputed islands on the new banknote introduced by the Central Bank. Obviously, in the case of such a fixing of the symbol, there can be no question of any transfer of the islands.

Meanwhile, all these measures are more of a technical nature. Yes, the islands will be reliably protected, but once the USSR was not a weak power from a military point of view, but capitulated as soon as the weak General Secretary Gorbachev was at the helm, subject to influence. To consolidate the parity and assert its position, Russia would be helped by some kind of symmetrical demand on Japan of a political nature, which would balance the claims of Tokyo. And most importantly, it could be removed only in response to the withdrawn demands of the Japanese. Such a requirement could be the issue of the territorial belonging of the island of Hokkaido. Once the USSR intended to seize it from Japan, defeated in the war, but the resistance of US President Harry Truman prevented. There are historical arguments justifying Russia's claims to the island.

At the moment, the Japanese side is appealing to the Shimoda Treaty of 1855. However, if we take previous events as a basis, the situation ceases to be ambiguous. Thus, the Spatial Land Description of the Russian State, compiled under Catherine II, included not only all the Kuril Islands, but also Hokkaido in the Russian Empire. The reason is that ethnic Japanese at that time did not even populate it. The indigenous population - the Ainu - following the results of the expedition of Antipin and Shabalin, were recorded as Russian subjects. They fought with the Japanese not only in the south of Hokkaido, but also in the northern part of the island of Honshu. The Cossacks themselves explored and taxed the Kuriles in the 17th century.

The fact of Russian citizenship of the inhabitants of Hokkaido was noted in a letter from Alexander I to the Japanese emperor in 1803. Moreover, this did not cause any objections from the Japanese side, let alone official protest. Hokkaido for Tokyo was a foreign territory like Korea. When the first Japanese arrived on the island in 1786, the Ainu came out to meet them, bearing Russian names and surnames. And what's more - Orthodox! Japan's first claims to Sakhalin date back only to 1845. Then Emperor Nicholas I immediately gave a diplomatic rebuff. Only the weakening of Russia in the following decades led to the occupation of the southern part of Sakhalin by the Japanese. It is interesting that the Bolsheviks in 1925 condemned the former government, which had given Russian lands to Japan.

So in 1945, historical justice was only restored. The army and navy of the USSR resolved the Russo-Japanese territorial issue by force. Khrushchev in 1956 signed the Joint Declaration of the USSR and Japan, article 9 of which read: “The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, meeting the wishes of Japan and taking into account the interests of the Japanese state, agrees to the transfer of the Habomai Islands and the Sikotan Island to Japan, with the fact, however, that the actual transfer of these islands of Japan will be produced after the conclusion of the Peace Treaty between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Japan. That is, now our Foreign Ministry proposes to do exactly what is recorded in Khrushchev's declaration.

There is, however, some difference. Khrushchev's goal was the demilitarization of Japan. He was ready to sacrifice a couple of islands in order to remove American military bases from the Soviet Far East. Now, obviously, we are no longer talking about demilitarization. Washington clung to his "unsinkable aircraft carrier" with a stranglehold. Moreover, Tokyo's dependence on the United States has even increased. Abe's visit to Russia has just been canceled precisely because of pressure from Washington, as told by the head of the information department of the Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova. Well, if so, then the gratuitous transfer as a “goodwill gesture” loses its attractiveness. It is reasonable not to follow Khrushchev's declaration, but to put forward symmetrical claims based on well-known historical facts. Shaking ancient scrolls and manuscripts, which is normal and practice in such cases.

An insistence on giving up Hokkaido would be a cold shower for Tokyo. We would have to argue in the negotiations not about Sakhalin or even about the Kuriles, but about our own territory at the moment. I would have to defend myself, justify myself, prove my right. Russia from diplomatic defense would thus go over to the offensive. You can also remember the opinion of the people and hold a referendum, or at least a VTsIOM poll on whether people agree with Nikita Khrushchev's decision to "meet the wishes of Japan and take into account the interests of the Japanese state." Our peasant people, for the most part, feel unmistakably that the land must never be given away. The answer is a categorical "no". The Russia Today TV channel and the Sputnik agency will inform the world about the will of the Russians.

If official state structures cannot start such a campaign for diplomatic reasons, one of the informal patriotic organizations can do it. The state will support the initiative. This is how Americans sometimes act, calling it a public-private partnership. Why is Russia worse? To permanently remove the problem of ownership of the Kuril Islands, "trolling" Tokyo in advance with media and diplomatic attacks, is a worthy task for such a practice. The slogan of the campaign could be the words: "Hokkaido is a Russian island!"

Hokkaido (Jap. 北海道 Hokkaido:, "Northern Sea Governorate"), formerly known as Ezo, in the old Russian transcription Iesso, Ieddo, Iyozo, is the second largest island in Japan. Until 1859, Matsumae was also called by the name of the ruling feudal clan that owned the castle town of Matsumae - in the old Russian transcription - Matsmai, Matsmai.

Geography

Hokkaido is located in the northern part of Japan. The northern coast of the island is washed by the cold Sea of Okhotsk and faces the Pacific coast of the Russian Far East. The territory of Hokkaido is almost equally divided between mountains and plains, moreover, the mountains are located in the center of the island and stretch in ridges from north to south. The highest peak is Mount Asahi (2290 m). In the western part of the island, along the Ishikari River (length 265 km), there is a valley with the same name, in the eastern part, along the Tokati River (156 km) - another valley. The southern part of Hokkaido is formed by the Oshima Peninsula, separated by the Sangar Strait from Honshu. Between these islands, the Seikan railway tunnel is laid under the seabed.

The island is the easternmost point of Japan - Cape Nosappu-Saki. Also on it is the northernmost point of Japan - Cape Soya.

The largest city of Hokkaido and the administrative center of the prefecture of the same name is Sapporo.

Flora and fauna

Most of Hokkaido is covered in forests. Coniferous forests of spruce and fir predominate, with dense thickets of bamboo in the undergrowth. Cedar and birch forests grow at a height, wastelands with shrubs are located. In the northern part, the border of forests of coniferous trees is at an altitude of 500 meters, in the south of the island, forests consist of broad-leaved trees. In the forests you can meet sable, ermine, weasel, brown bear, fox. Hokkaido bears have a ferocious disposition.

Historical information

Lake Shikotsu

Prehistoric and ancient times

The oldest artifacts found in Hokkaido belong to the late Paleolithic era. These are stone flakes made by primitive man 25-20 thousand years ago. They were found at the Shukyubai-Sankakuyama mountain site in Chitose City and the Shimaki site in Kamishihoro Township. 15-12 thousand years ago, in the Mesolithic era, the technique of making stone blades spread to Hokkaido, which is associated with the emergence of a culture of microlithic tools. At the same time, the inhabitants of the island learned to use a bow and arrow.

The appearance of ceramics in Hokkaido dates back to the 8th millennium BC. e. It is represented by the Jomon culture. On the island, this culture found its expression in two styles of tableware design - southwestern and northeastern. The first arose under the influence of the style of the Tohoku region of the neighboring island of Honshu, and the second took shape independently. The dishes of the southwestern part of Hokkaido were flat-bottomed, while those of the northeastern part were sharp-bottomed. About 6 millennium BC. e. sharp-bottomed dishes gave way to flat-bottomed ones, and the old styles evolved into new ones - cylindrical in the southwest and north-cylindrical in the northeast. In the 3-2 millennium BC. e. the inhabitants of Hokkaido adopted the opulent style of Kamegaoka from neighboring Honshu, which supplanted the regional styles.

At the turn of our era, a new Yayoi culture spread in Japan. Its carriers were settled farmers. They were engaged in rice cultivation, knew the technique of metal processing and made a new type of non-ornamental ceramics. Hokkaido remained outside the influence of this culture. Its inhabitants continued to live by hunting and gathering, were semi-sedentary and kept to the traditions of the previous Jōmon era. Their culture was called post-jomon. During the 3rd-4th centuries, under the influence of their southern neighbors, the inhabitants of Hokkaido began to use metal tools and make jewelry from precious stones.

Starting from the 7th century, the northeastern regions of Hokkaido, namely the lands of the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, were under the influence of the Okhotsk culture. Its carriers used stone, iron and bone tools. A large settlement and burial ground of these northern hunters were found at the Moyoro site in the territory of the city of Abashiri. The latest monuments of the Okhotsk culture date back to the 9th century.

In the 8th century, a new culture, Satsumon, emerged from the post-Jōmon culture. Its carriers were proto-Ainu. Like the Jomon, the proto-Ainu were primarily hunter-gatherers, although they practiced primitive agriculture. They made their weapons and tools from iron, less often from stone or bone. The proto-Ainu traded with the neighboring Nivkhs in the north and the Japanese in the south. The latter called the inhabitants of Hokkaido and the adjacent territories the term "ezo" (barbarians), and their country "island of Ezo", "Thousand islands of Eyozo" or "Island". The center of the proto-Ainu trade with the Japanese was the Japanese province of Dewa in the Tohoku region.

new time

In the extreme southwest of the Oshima Peninsula, in 1604, the feudal principality of Matsumae, vassal from the Tokugawa shoguns, was established, in whose possession the entire island was given. It was called Ezo at that time, and its indigenous population was the Ainu, whose conquest by the Japanese lasted more than two centuries. In 1712-1713, according to the questions of the Ainu and the stories of the Japanese, brought by a storm to Kamchatka in 1710, the Cossack Ivan Petrovich Kozyrevsky compiled his description of the island. In the spring of 1779, Russian sailors and fishermen, led by Antipin and Shabalin, headed for the shores of Hokkaido in seven canoes. On June 24 of the same year, they entered the harbor of Notcomo in the northeast of the island, where they collected yasak from the Ainu living there and actually accepted 1,500 people into Russian citizenship. This fact aroused the indignation of the Japanese. In the autumn of 1792, a Russian expedition led by Adam Laxman visited the north of Hokkaido, although the Japanese forbade the Russians to trade with the Hokkaido Ainu.

Nature in Hokkaido

In 1868-1869, the Republic of Ezo existed on the island, created by supporters of the shogunate; after the fall of the republic, the island was renamed Hokkaido. In 1869, the Japanese government established the Hokkaido Colonization Office.

Hokkaido (jap. 北海道 Hokkaido:, "North Sea Governorate"), formerly known as Ezo, in old Russian transcription Yesso, Ieddo, Iezo is the second largest island in Japan. Until 1859, it was also called Matsumae, after the surname of the ruling feudal clan that owned the castle town. Matsumae- in the old Russian transcription - Matsmai, Matsmay. [ ]

Geography

Physical map of Hokkaido

Hokkaido is located in the northern part of the Japanese islands, being the second largest in the archipelago. The northernmost point of Japan is located on the island - Cape Soya (45 ° 31 '). Also located on it is the easternmost point of Japan - Cape Nosappu-Saki (Nosyappu; 145 ° 49 'E). The southern edge of Hokkaido is Cape Shirakami (41°24'), the western one is Cape Ota (139°46'E).

The northern coast of the island is washed by the cold Sea of Okhotsk and faces the Pacific coast of the Russian Far East, separated from Sakhalin by the Laperouse (Soya) Strait, and from the Kuril Islands by the Kunashir Strait, or Nemuro Strait. At the same time, the shortest distance to the Kuril Islands is only 7 km. The southern part of Hokkaido is formed by the Oshima Peninsula, separated by the Sangar Strait from Honshu, which is 17 km away. Between these islands, the Seikan Railway Tunnel is built under the seabed. The coastline in comparison with other islands of the archipelago is slightly indented, its length is 2447.3 km, including nearby small islands - 2759.7 km, or 10.4% of the length of the entire coastline of Japan.

The relief of the island is predominantly mountainous with a predominance of folded-block mountains. The main mountain ranges stretch diagonally, at the intersection point of which is the Central Mountain Range with the highest point - Asahi Volcano (2290 m). In addition to it, there are still active volcanoes: Tokati and Iosan. Plain territories occupy only a third of the island. In the western part, along the Ishikari River (length 265 km), there is a low-lying area with the same name, the Yufutsu plain adjoins it, in the eastern part, along the Tokachi River (156 km) - another flat area. [ ]

Due to the high proportion of minerals, Hokkaido is called the "northern pearl of the country." The largest reserves (over 25% of the country's reserves) are hard and brown coal, gold, silver, ferruginous sand, iron, manganese and.

The river network is extensive, but the length of the rivers is small, only in six it exceeds 100 km. Among them, the second largest river in Japan is the Ishikari. River arteries are used for navigation, irrigation and electricity generation. The lakes are mostly freshwater, but there are also salty, lagoon-type lakes. The largest lake on the island Saroma, its area is 149.1 km² (4th place in the country), the maximum depth is 19.5 m.

The soil cover is monotonous, dominated by podzols, but brown soils are found on the Oshima Peninsula. A significant proportion of peatlands, with an area of 295 thousand hectares, they are found in the lower reaches of rivers Kushiro, Tesio and Ishikari.

The largest city of Hokkaido and the administrative center of the prefecture of the same name is Sapporo. The area of the city is 1121.26 km² (October 1, 2016), the population is 1,962,064 people (June 1, 2017), the population density is 1749.87 people / km². This is the island's only city with a population of over a million, accounting for 36.6% of the total population of Hokkaido and 1.5% of the population of Japan.

Climate

Flora and fauna

Most of the territory of Hokkaido is occupied by mixed and broad-leaved forests (5.54 million hectares, or 22% of all Japanese forests). Coniferous species from Hokkaido spruce and Sakhalin fir with dense thickets of bamboo in the undergrowth make up 41.7% of the total forest fund, while deciduous species (oak, poplar, ash, chestnut, beech) - 58.3%. Cedar and birch forests grow in mountainous areas, and wastelands with shrubs are located. Coniferous forests are widespread in the northern part of the island, their upper limit in the spectrum of altitudinal zones reaches a height of 500 meters, while in the south and in the central part of the island the forests consist of broad-leaved tree species. In the animal kingdom, one can meet brown bear, spotted deer, fish owl, Japanese crane, common fox, wild boar, serow and others. The island has six national parks: Daisetsuzan, Shikopu-Toya, Akan, Shiretoko , Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu , Kushiro Shitsugen .

Historical information

Reconstruction of the Ainu housing in the settlement of Nibutani

The oldest artifacts found in Hokkaido belong to the Late Paleolithic era. These are stone flakes made by primitive man 25-20 thousand years ago. They were found at the mountain site Shukyubai-Sankakuyama (Japanese 祝梅三角山遺跡) of the city of Chitose and the Shimaki site (Japanese 嶋木遺跡) of the village of Kamisihoro. 15-12 thousand years ago, in the Mesolithic era, the technique of making stone blades spread to Hokkaido, which is associated with the emergence of a culture of microlithic tools. At the same time, the inhabitants of the island learned to use a bow and arrow. [ ]

At the turn of our era, the Yayoi agricultural culture spread in Japan. Hokkaido remained outside the influence of this culture. Its inhabitants continued to live by hunting and gathering, were semi-sedentary and kept to the traditions of the previous Jōmon era. Their culture was called post-jomon. During the III-IV centuries, under the influence of the southern islands, the inhabitants of Hokkaido began to use metal tools and make jewelry from precious stones. [ ]

Beginning in the 7th century, the northeastern regions of Hokkaido (the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk) were influenced by the Okhotsk culture. Its carriers used stone, iron and bone tools. A large settlement and burial ground of these northern hunters was found at the Moyoro site (Jap. 最寄遺跡) in the city of Abashiri. The latest monuments of the Okhotsk culture date back to the 9th century. [ ]

It is believed that the first written mention of Hokkaido was made in the chronicle nihon shoki completed in 720. According to the chronicle, Abe no Hirafu, who sailed north at the head of a large fleet from 658 to 680, came into contact with the Mishihase and Emishi tribes. Watarashima Island (jap. 渡島), visited by Hirafu, is considered modern Hokkaido. [ ] Arai Hakuseki, who lived during the Edo period, believed that Watarishima is the same as Ezo (i.e. Hokkaido)

The Ainu rebelled against feudal rule. The last major uprising was the Syagusyain Rebellion in 1669-1672. In 1789, the Menasi-Kunashir uprising was also crushed. In 1799-1821 and 1855-1858, in response to the threat from Russia, the shogunate introduced direct rule on the island. Shortly before the Meiji Restoration, the Tokugawa Shogunate, worried about a possible Russian invasion, began preparing the northern borders for defense and took Ezochi under its full control. During this period, the policy towards the Ainu softened a little, but the general style of management remained the same.

The island was known as Ezochi until the Meiji Restoration. Immediately after the end of the Boshin War in 1868, a group of shogunal supporters led by Enomoto Takeaki temporarily occupied the island, proclaiming the establishment of the Ezo Republic. (jap. 蝦夷共和國 ezō kyō: wakoku) , but the uprising was crushed in May 1869. Ezochi came under the control of the government of Hakodate Prefecture of Hakodate Prefecture (jap. 箱館府 hakodate fu) . In 1869 the Development Authority was formed. (jap. 開拓使 kaitakushi) , the island became known as Hokkaido and was divided into the following provinces: Oshima, Shiribesi, Iburi, Ishikari, Teshio, Kitami, Hidaka, Tokachi, Kushiro, Nemuro and Chisima.

The main goal of the administration was to secure the Hokkaido region from the possible advance of Russia in the Far East. Kuroda Kiyotaka stood at its head. His first step in office was a visit to the US during which he hired Horace Capron, Secretary of Agriculture under President Grant. From 1871 to 1873, Karpon tried to introduce Western methods of farming and mining, but, having not achieved great success, he was forced to return home in 1875. In 1876, another American specialist, William Clark, founded the Sapporo Agricultural College. (jap. 札幌農學校 sapporo no gakko) . Although Clark spent only one year in Hokkaido, he left a positive impression and contributed to the development of local agriculture, as well as to the spread of Christianity. Known in Japan for his call to students: "Guys, be ambitious!" (English) Boys, be ambitious!), these words can be found as inscriptions on buildings in Hokkaido to this day. During this decade, the population of Hokkaido has grown from 58 thousand to 240 thousand people.

In 1882, the government was abolished and Hokkaido was divided into three prefectures: Hakodate Prefecture (jap. 函館県 hakodate ken) , Sapporo Prefecture (jap. 札幌県 sapporo ken) and Nemuro Prefecture (jap. 根室県 nemuro ken) . In 1886, after the prefectures were abolished, the region came under the jurisdiction of the specially created Hokkaido Agency. (jap. 北海道庁 hokkaido: cho:) . In 1947, after the entry into force of a new law on local autonomy, Hokkaido received the status of a prefecture. Under the Cabinet of Ministers of Japan, the Hokkaido Development Agency was established in 1949. (jap. 北海道開発庁 hokkaido: kaihatsu cho:) Prime Minister of Japan to directly administer the territory. The agency was taken over by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in 2001. Hokaido Division (jap. 北海道局 hokkaido: kyoku) and Hokkaido Regional Development Division (jap. 北海道開発局 hokkaido: kaihatsu kyoku) under the ministry still play a big role in the development of infrastructure projects on the island. [ ]

In the extreme southwest of the Oshima Peninsula, in 1604, the feudal principality of Matsumae was established, vassal from the Tokugawa shoguns, in whose possession the entire island was given. It was called Ezo at that time, and its indigenous population was the Ainu, whose conquest by the Japanese lasted more than two centuries. In -1713, according to the questions of the Ainu and the stories of the Japanese, brought by a storm to Kamchatka in 1710, the Cossack Ivan Petrovich Kozyrevsky compiled his description of the island. In the spring of 1779, Russian sailors and fishermen, led by Antipin and Shabalin, headed for the shores of Hokkaido in seven canoes. On June 24 of the same year, they entered Notkomo harbor in the northeast of the island, where they collected yasak from the Ainu living there and actually accepted 1,500 people into Russian citizenship. This fact aroused the indignation of the Japanese. In the autumn of 1792, a Russian expedition led by Adam Laxman visited the north of Hokkaido, although the Japanese forbade the Russians to trade with the Hokkaido Ainu.

Demography

Historical colonization

The history of Japanization of Hokkaido began long before the Japanese landed on the island, where, according to rough estimates, up to 50,000 Ainu natives lived. In the X-XV centuries, the Japanese managed to conquer and largely assimilate the Ainu of the northern half of the island. Honshu from the city of Sendai, for a long time the former ancient center of the Ainu resistance to the city of Tsugaru, which, being located directly opposite Hokkaido, became a springboard for the development of the latter. According to the inventory of 1788, about 26.5 thousand Japanese already lived in the principality of Matsumae, but their number did not grow so fast in the 19th century: the rather cold (for the Japanese) local climate had a deterrent effect, to which only fishermen could adapt, but nothing not rice growers. But the rapid progressive development of the Japanese economy since the last third of the 19th century led to a rapid population growth and a constant shortage of raw materials in the form of wood, seafood, and minerals. The agrarian overpopulation of the southern islands also made itself felt. [ ]

Subsequently, the number of Japanese colonists grew rapidly, and the Ainu decreased during conflicts and assimilation. From to , significant assistance to the Japanese in the development of the island was provided by the Americans, who, together with the Japanese, feared the strengthening of Russia in the Far East. This assistance gave certain results: in the 1870s, the Japanese population grew from 58,000 to 240,000. This allowed Japan to secure Hokkaido, but to develop

For a change, Russia may demand Hokkaido from the Japanese.

No sooner had Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to Japan come to an end than Tokyo took up its old ways and again raised the issue of belonging to the Kuril Islands. And he did it in a sharper, more radical format, mentioning the island of Sakhalin in the context. Russia's willingness to compromise on the territorial issue was seen as a weakness, and therefore a pretext for attacking actions on the diplomatic front. Adding to the heat of the debate is the imminent election, in which incumbent Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expects to win with a tough stance. Russia, although deploying an additional military contingent in the disputed territories, is more likely to lose politically, remaining on the defensive. A way out of the situation could be a symmetrical demand - the question of the ownership of the island of Hokkaido, where subjects of the Russian Empire once lived.

Retired diplomat Yoshike Mine spoke in detail about the views of the Japanese political establishment on the problem of settling the so-called "northern territories" in an interview with the influential publication Toyo Keizai. According to him, the problem has two levels. “In a narrow sense, the issue of the ‘Northern Territories’ refers to four islands. In a broader sense, to Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands,” Mine noted. At the same time, he gave the Japanese name for Sakhalin - Karafuto. At the same time, the diplomat made a reservation that in the discussions in the parliament, the Japanese government is talking about only four islands: Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup. Mine also recalled that Russia had already declared its readiness to return Habomai and Shikotan. That is, the Japanese consider the transfer of the two southern islands a matter of principle decided. Wider territorial claims, including Sakhalin, is their maximum task.

Hokkaido is a Russian island

If official state structures cannot start such a campaign for diplomatic reasons, one of the informal patriotic organizations can do it. The state will support the initiative. This is how Americans sometimes act, calling it a public-private partnership. Why is Russia worse? To permanently remove the problem of belonging to the Kuril Islands, having previously "trolled" Tokyo with media and diplomatic attacks, is a worthy task for such a practice. The slogan of the campaign could be the words: "Hokkaido is a Russian island!".