Ex-Residents of Russian-Held Isles Pray for Ancestors from Ship
Sapporo, Aug. 20 (Jiji Press)--Former Japanese residents of Russian-controlled islands held a memorial service for their ancestors on Tuesday on a ship off the islands, which Japan calls its Northern Territories.
A total of seven such services will be held by the end of September. This is the third year in a row that the memorial project is taking place, as a program allowing former residents to visit the islands has been suspended amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Tuesday's memorial service at sea was attended by about 80 people, including former residents and their families. They left the Port of Nemuro in Hokkaido aboard the ship Etopirika at around 9:30 a.m. and arrived in waters off Kunashiri, one of the Japan-claimed islands, at around 1 p.m.
Yuzo Matsumoto, 83, head of a group of former residents of the islands, said in a speech that it is "truly regrettable" that former residents cannot visit the islands under the current circumstances. "I hope that we can visit the graves of our families (on the islands) as soon as possible," said Matsumoto, who was born on Etorofu, another of the islands.
Among the participants was Mizuki Kimura, a 21-year-old university student whose ancestors lived on the Habomais, also among the islands. "We didn't learn very much about the Northern Territories in class, but I hope to learn more because (I live in) Hokkaido," Kimura said.
(2024/08/20-21:22)
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