Former Japanese residents of the South Kuril Islands, which this year are unable to go to these areas in the framework of visa-free exchanges and may be able to see the graves of their ancestors aboard a special Charter flight. On Wednesday reported by the Japanese public television.
It is noted that currently in the Japanese Northern Prefecture of Hokkaido are working on the possibility of organizing "the first of its kind of flight that will allow former residents of the Islands at least a little closer to him".
Earlier in April this year, the government of Japan has decided to postpone the planned for may, the beginning of the season of visa-free exchanges between Japanese prefectures and the southern part of the Kuril Islands because of the situation with the spread of the coronavirus.
The program of visa-free exchanges agreed by the parties on an annual basis, and trips are usually carried out from may to October. They started in 1992 under an intergovernmental agreement to improve mutual understanding between peoples of the two countries. During this period, 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.
