Southern Kuriles

The Southern Kuriles—Kunashir, Iturup, Habomai and Shikotan—are disputed between the Russian Federation (previously by its predecessor, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) and Japan in a diplomatic row since 1945. As of 2015^[update], the dispute is unresolved without a formal peace treaty between the two countries. The whole of the Kuril Islands chain are administered by Russia as part of Sakhalin oblast. Japan maps them as part of Nemuro subprefecture of Hokkaidō prefecture.