U.S. Classifies Russians Born in Northern Territories as Being from Japan

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:15 JST, December 10, 2020

MOSCOW — The U.S. State Department has required people born in the northern territories to specify their country of origin as Japan when applying for green cards for permanent residency in the United States.

Russia has objected, saying, it “challenges the results of World War II.”

A note in the guidelines for a U.S. campaign, in which green cards are given to foreign residents of the United States by lottery, tells people born on the four northern islands listed by name to clearly state that they are born in Japan.

The Russian Foreign Ministry noticed the stipulation and criticized it on Twitter on Dec. 6, reiterating the claim that the northern territories have become “Russian territory” as a result of World War II: “Do you need more proof that the U.S. is a revisionist power? The Kuril Islands [which include the northern territories] were handed to the U.S.S.R. as part of a 1945 decision.”