Habomai Islands

Habomai Islands
Disputed islands; Other names: Russian: Малые Курилы; Japanese: 歯舞群島, romanized: Habomai guntō
	Khabomai Rocks from space
Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	43°30′N 146°8′E / 43.500°N 146.133°E
Archipelago	Kuril Islands
Total islands	10 + several rocks
Area	100 km2
Administered by
Russia
Federal subject	Sakhalin Oblast
District	Yuzhno-Kurilsky
Claimed by
Japan
Prefecture	Hokkaido
Subprefecture	Nemuro
Demographics
Population	117

The Habomai Islands (Russian: Хабомаи (Khabomai), Japanese: 歯舞群島 (Habomai guntō) or 歯舞諸島 (Habomai shotō) are a group of islets in the southernmost Kuril Islands. They are currently under Russian administration, but together with Iturup (Etorofu), Kunashir (Kunashiri), and Shikotan are claimed by Japan.

History[]

Russian administered Yuzhno-Kurilsky District. The bottom left of the red-shaded area is the Habomai Islands. Grey area is Hokkaido.

Map including Habomi Shotō (DMA, 1990)

In 1732 it was mapped during the Russian Great Eastern Expedition.

The Treaty of Shimoda, signed by Russia and Japan in 1855, gave Japan ownership of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and the Habomai Islands.^[1]

The Habomai Islands were occupied by Soviet forces in the last few days of World War II. The islands were eventually annexed by the Soviet Union, which deported all the island residents to Japan.^[1] Moscow claimed the islands as part of a war-time agreement between the Allies (Yalta Agreement), which provided for the transfer of the Chishima (Kurile) Islands to the USSR in return for its participation in the Pacific War. However, Japan maintains that the Habomai Islands are not part of the Kuriles and are in fact part of Hokkaido prefecture. On May 26, 1955, the United States submitted an application for proceedings against the Soviet Union. As part of the proceedings, the United States questioned the validity of the Soviet Union's claim to the Habomai Islands.^[2]

In 1956, after difficult negotiations, the Soviet Union agreed to cede the Habomai to Japan, along with Shikotan, after the conclusion of a peace treaty between the two countries.^[3] As the treaty was never concluded, the islands remained under Soviet jurisdiction. However, the promise of a two-island solution (for the purpose of simplicity, the Habomai rocks count as one island) has been renewed in the Soviet-Japanese, and later Russo-Japanese negotiations.

Formerly home to a Japanese fishing community, the islands are now uninhabited except for the Russian border guard outpost.

View of the Habomai Islands from Cape Nosappu (March 26, 2005).

List of islands[]

Island	Japanese name	Russian name	Ainu transcription(s)	Area km²	Highest point m	Latitude N	Longitude E	Distance from Cape Nosappu^[4] km
Shikotan	色丹島しこたんとう Shikotan tō	Остров Шикотан	si-kotan (Big village)	255	412.6	43°47'	146°44'	73.3
（Habomai islands are shown below.） Shikotan channel
	海馬島かいばじま、とどじま Kaibajima, Todojima	Остров Осколки	todo-mosir (Steller sea lion island)	1.5	38	43°34'	146°24'
	多楽島たらくとう Taraku tō	Остров Полонского	torar-uk (Take in the strap)	11.69	25	43°37'	146°19'	45.5
	カブ島かぶとう Kabu tō	Скала Чайка
	カナクソ岩かなくそいわ Kanakuso iwa	Скала Пещерная
	カブト島かぶととう Kabuto tō	Острова Шишки
Taraku channel
Zelyony	志発島しぼつとう Shibotsu tō	Остров Зелёный	sipe-op (A place where a shoal of Chum salmon)	58.3	45	43°29'	146°09'	25.5
Shibotsu channel
	春苅島はるかるとう Harukaru tō	Острова Дёмина	haru-kar-kotan (Village of harvesting Cardiocrinum cordatum bulbs)	2	34	43°25'	146°10'
Yuri	勇留島ゆりとう Yuri tō	Остров Юрий	urir (Cormorant island)	10		43°25'	146°04'	16.6

Anuchina	秋勇留島あきゆりとう Akiyuri tō	Остров Анучина	aki-urir (Yuri's young brother)	5	33	43°21'	146°00'	13.7
	水晶島すいしょうとう Suishō tō	Остров Танфильева	si-so (Big bare rock)	21	15	43°26'	145°55'	7.2
Sovetskiy channel
	萌茂尻島もえもしりとう Moemoshiri tō	Остров Сторожевой	moi-mosir (A calm island)	0.07	11.8	43°23'	145°53'	6.0
	オドケ島おどけとう Odoke tō	Остров Рифовый		0.001	3.6	43°23'	145°52'
	貝殻島かいがらじま Kaigarajima	Остров Сигнальный	kay-ka-ra-i (Low thing above the wave)			43°23'	145°51'	3.7
Cape Nosappu, Hokkaido

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Kuril islands dispute between Russia and Japan". BBC. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
^ "October 7, 1952 Incident (Habomai Islands) : Application by the United States to the International Court of Justice, May 26, 1955". Yale Law School. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
^ "Texts of Soviet–Japanese Statements; Peace Declaration Trade Protocol." The New York Times, page 2, October 20, 1956.
Subtitle: "Moscow, October 19. (UP) – Following are the texts of a Soviet–Japanese peace declaration and of a trade protocol between the two countries, signed here today, in unofficial translation from the Russian". Quote:"...The U.S.S.R. and Japan have agreed to continue, after the establishment of normal diplomatic relations between them, negotiations for the conclusion of a peace treaty. Hereby, the U.S.S.R., in response to the desires of Japan and taking into consideration the interest of the Japanese state, agrees to hand over to Japan the Habomai and the Shikotan Islands, provided that the actual changing over to Japan of these islands will be carried out after the conclusion of a peace treaty..."
^ 北方領土の姿北方対策本部 - 内閣府 (in Japanese)

External links[]

[BBC-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Kuril islands dispute between Russia and Japan". BBC. Retrieved 18 May 2015.

[2] "October 7, 1952 Incident (Habomai Islands) : Application by the United States to the International Court of Justice, May 26, 1955". Yale Law School. Retrieved 18 May 2015.

[nyt-3] "Texts of Soviet–Japanese Statements; Peace Declaration Trade Protocol." The New York Times, page 2, October 20, 1956.
Subtitle: "Moscow, October 19. (UP) – Following are the texts of a Soviet–Japanese peace declaration and of a trade protocol between the two countries, signed here today, in unofficial translation from the Russian". Quote:"...The U.S.S.R. and Japan have agreed to continue, after the establishment of normal diplomatic relations between them, negotiations for the conclusion of a peace treaty. Hereby, the U.S.S.R., in response to the desires of Japan and taking into consideration the interest of the Japanese state, agrees to hand over to Japan the Habomai and the Shikotan Islands, provided that the actual changing over to Japan of these islands will be carried out after the conclusion of a peace treaty..."

[4] 北方領土の姿北方対策本部 - 内閣府 (in Japanese)

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hide v t Kuril Islands
Islands	Antsiferov Island Atlasov Island Broutona Chirinkotan Chyornye Bratya Ekarma Habomai Islands Iturup Ketoy Kharimkotan Kunashir Makanrushi Matua (island) Onekotan Paramushir Raikoke Rasshua Shiashkotan Shikotan Shumshu Simushir Ushishir Urup
Volcanoes	Alaid Atsonupuri Baransky Berutarube Bogatyr Ridge Chikurachki Chirinkotan Chirip Chirpoi Demon Ebeko Ekarma Fuss Peak Golets-Torny Group Golovnin Goryashchaya Sopka Grozny Group Ivao Group Karpinsky Group Ketoi Kharimkotan Kolokol Group Kuntomintar Lomonosov Group Lvinaya Past Medvezhya Mendeleyeva Milna (volcano) Nemo Peak Prevo Peak Raikoke Rasshua Rudakov Sarychev Peak Shirinki Sinarka Smirnov Tao-Rusyr Caldera Tyatya Tri Sestry Urataman Ushishur Vernadskii Ridge Zavaritski Caldera
Other geographical features	Bussol Strait Ilya Muromets Waterfall Kasatka Bay Cape Koritsky Kuril–Kamchatka Trench
Cities and towns	Kurilsk Severo-Kurilsk Yuzhno-Kurilsk
Events	Battle of Shumshu Evacuation of Karafuto and Kuriles Hawaii Operation Invasion of the Kuril Islands Kuril Islands dispute Menashi–Kunashir rebellion Russo-Japanese War Seaboard World Airlines Flight 253A Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1875)
People	Ainu people William Robert Broughton Vasily Golovnin Takadaya Kahei Matsumae clan Maarten Gerritsz Vries