Memorial services at sea to be held off disputed islands

The Hokkaido government has announced that memorial services at sea will be held between July 20 and Aug. 21 for former residents of the four Russian-held northwestern Pacific islands claimed by Japan to mourn their ancestors.

In Japan, the four islands, which were seized by the former Soviet Union from Japan in the closing days of World War II, are collectively called the Northern Territories.

Held for the fourth consecutive year, the memorial services aboard a ship reflect the wishes of former residents and successors to offer condolences to their ancestors as close as possible to their homeland, at a time when exchange initiatives, including a visa-free visit program, have been halted amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Hokkaido government said Tuesday that it will run the memorial services jointly with a league of former residents and others.

Five of the scheduled seven memorial service sessions will be one-day trips in which participants will mourn their ancestors as they face the Habomai group of islets and the southern part of Kunashiri Island, both in the group of claimed islands, aboard a ship named Etopirika that will depart from and return to the port of Nemuro in eastern Hokkaido. The other two will involve an overnight stay on board, with participants offering prayers toward the northern part of Kunashiri Island.