The strategic importance of the Kuril Islands for Japan’s national security

Abstract

This thesis was written on the strategic importance of the Northern Territories, for which Japan and Russia did not sign the peace treaty that would end the Second World War. Claiming that the four islands of the Kuril Islands chain, Habomai, Kunashir, Shikotan and, Etorofu, which are close to Japan, are connected to Hokkaido, which is in the northernmost part of Japan, and claiming that they are unjustly occupied, Japan demands the return of these islands to itself. This study, which deals with the military, economic and, political-strategic importance of these islands, which cause mutual conflict, has examined the effects of the Northern Region on Japan's national security. As a result of the study, it has been revealed that the economic potential of the islands is high and that it can benefit Japan, but it is not of high importance in terms of military security.