9 ms·

Ukraine officially recognized the Northern Territories as part of Japan

93 points by app4soft 4y ago

stoeckley 4y ago
An English link to the same topic on the same site: https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/treba-zvilnyati-vid-rosijskoyi-okupaciyi-vsi-zemli-yaki-rf-n-78365 https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/treba-zvilnyati-vid-ros... It starts: Dear Ukrainians! An important decision was made today. It's fair. Legally perfect. Historical. Ukraine confirmed its respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Japan, including its Northern territories, which are still under Russian occupation. Today, I signed the relevant decree. There is a corresponding statement of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. And we call on everyone in the world to make similar decisions. Russia has no right to these territories. Everyone in the world knows this well. And we must finally act. We must de-occupy all the lands that the Russian occupiers are trying to keep for themselves.
- app4soft 4y ago
  > An English link to the same topic Its not the same topic (as it is today's address of President of Ukraine), but it does include excerpts from latest presidential decree. Main link directing to Decree of the President of Ukraine №692/2022 (in Ukrainian), signed today: > 1. Ukraine confirms its respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Japan, including the Northern Territories, which are still under occupation by the Russian Federation. > 2. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, in accordance with the Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of Japan on the establishment of diplomatic relations (in the form of an exchange of letters) dated January 26, 1992, in its activities, proceed from the position specified in Article 1 of this Decree. The Northern Territories are an integral part of the sovereign territory of Japan.
FpUser 4y ago
I very much against what Putin is doing with the Ukraine and Russia. The sooner this abomination is gone the better. However I am under the impression that until their own troubles started Ukraine would not give a flying fuck about Northern territories.
- noobermin 4y ago
  This is clearly them taunting Putin and Russia.
  - isthisthingon99 4y ago
    Or trying to ally japan against russia
    - FpUser 4y ago
      >"Or trying to ally japan against russia" Putin is doing this part just fine on his own. No need for external "help".
    - konsolebox 4y ago
      How are they not automatically allies yet?
    - app4soft 4y ago
      Ukraine & Japan always had good relations[0], so actual step is more about confirming longstanding friendship. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan%E2%80%93Ukraine_relations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan%E2%80%93Ukraine_relation...
      - isthisthingon99 4y ago
        Makes sense, I meant to say it is more like they are deliberately poking Japan to notice Russia is occupying lands they are interested in.
- shmerl 4y ago
  PR move obviously, but why not.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- kps 4y ago
_Microft 4y ago
Well, one has to admit that Ukraine’s media strategy is top notch.
- anonAndOn 4y ago
  It's remarkable. Between the myriad international and domestic crowdsourcing events (eg, Bayrakter TB2s [0][1], a Tank [2], lots of Drones [3], First Aid kits [4], etc), the postage stamp [5] and the Foreign Minister doing international late night talk shows[6], they've set the bar for Global PR tactics of an invaded country. [0]https://zrzutka.pl/bayraktar https://zrzutka.pl/bayraktar [1]https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/lithuania-transfer-crowdfunded-bayraktar-drone-ukraine-wednesday-2022-07-06/ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/lithuania-transfer-crow... [2]https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/czech-citizens-raise-13-mln-modernised-tank-ukraine-2022-10-03/ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/czech-citizens-raise-13... [3]https://u24.gov.ua/dronation https://u24.gov.ua/dronation [4]https://twitter.com/ItsBorys/status/1578207951365480448 https://twitter.com/ItsBorys/status/1578207951365480448 [5]https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/12/ukraine-reveals-russian-warship-go-fuck-yourself-postage-stamp https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/12/ukraine-reveal... [6]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjUHY2XgIxE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjUHY2XgIxE
  - app4soft 4y ago
    Also, do not forget about the Ukrainian meme forces[0] & North Atlantic Fellas Organization[1] on Twitter, Reddit, etc.[2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12] [0] https://war.ukraine.ua/country-and-society/ukrainian-meme-forces-what-makes-us-laugh-in-the-times-of-russia-s-invasion/ https://war.ukraine.ua/country-and-society/ukrainian-meme-fo... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAFO_(group) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAFO_(group) [2] https://www.cyberscoop.com/nafo-fellas-and-their-memes-ukraine/ https://www.cyberscoop.com/nafo-fellas-and-their-memes-ukrai... [3] https://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-ukrainian-meme-war-defeated-russia-204588 https://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-ukrainian-meme-war-... [4] https://www.coffeeordie.com/ukraine-war-memes https://www.coffeeordie.com/ukraine-war-memes [5] https://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-ukrainian-meme-war-defeated-russia-204588 https://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-ukrainian-meme-war-... [6] https://www.boredpanda.com/ukraine-support-memes/ https://www.boredpanda.com/ukraine-support-memes/ [7] https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/9/6/ukraine-latest-weapon-in-the-war-jokes https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/9/6/ukraine-latest-w... [8] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/18/ukraine-war-meme-fundraising/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/18/ukraine-war-... [9] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/19/world/middleeast/ukraine-memes-russia-fundraising.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/19/world/middleeast/ukraine-... [10] http://www.zhu.edu.ua/journal_cpu/index.php/der_sc/article/view/903 http://www.zhu.edu.ua/journal_cpu/index.php/der_sc/article/v... [11] https://mwi.usma.edu/on-trolls-and-nuclear-signaling-strategic-stability-in-the-age-of-memes/ https://mwi.usma.edu/on-trolls-and-nuclear-signaling-strateg... [12] https://www.politico.eu/article/nafo-doge-shiba-russia-putin-ukraine-twitter-trolling-social-media-meme/ https://www.politico.eu/article/nafo-doge-shiba-russia-putin...
SnooSux 4y ago
https://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/russia/territory/index.html https://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/russia/territory/index.... I wasn't aware of the controversy until now and I assume most people didn't either. This declaration will likely raise awareness but I'd be surprised if it did much else.
- app4soft 4y ago
  You may be surprised, but in the 1920s there was a border between "Green Ukraine" (Ukrainian colonies) and Karafuto Prefecture (external territory of Japan) in the middle of Sakhalin Island.[0,1,2] [0] https://twitter.com/app4soft/status/1288133055639683072 https://twitter.com/app4soft/status/1288133055639683072 [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Ukraine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Ukraine [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karafuto_Prefecture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karafuto_Prefecture
  - baybal2 4y ago
    The entirety of russian far east is not majority russian. It was colonized using interned Ukrainians, Poles, and other captive Eastern Europeans. I spent my early childhood in Vladivostok. The city, and the region has a very different air than the rest of russia. Even places considered "oriental" in russia, like Siberia, or Astrakhan feel much more like the rest of central russia, than parts of russia east of Blahoveschensk.
- elihu 4y ago
  I'd heard of Kuril islands dispute. The "northern territories" are apparently the four of the Kuril islands that Japan claims as their own but Russia occupies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuril_Islands_dispute https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuril_Islands_dispute
themgt 4y ago
- newsclues 4y ago
  Funny that Syria is a Russian ally.
  - convolvatron 4y ago
    not...really? oddly. the world isn't divided into two teams, things have a little more nuance.
    - account-5 4y ago
      I imagine some Americans would find that hard to believe.
  - dotancohen 4y ago
    Funny also that Israel acquired the Golan Heights while defending against a Syrian attack. If Ukraine were to gain territory later in the war, would they disregard it based on a similar principal? Honestly, it looks not unlike Justin Beiber declaring support for some cause which he knows nothing about. They appear to be promoting morality, when really they are promoting an oversimplification for a narrative. But that sure gets Twitter followers, likes, and upvotes.
- ramesh31 4y ago
  >This is truly a brave and principled stance taken by the government of Ukraine. It's impossible for us to comprehend the mindset or clarity of purpose that such a situation brings. Many of our grandparents knew it, and we called them the Greatest Generation because of it. Zelensky's (and really, all Ukranians) story over these last 8 months has really been the quintessence of self actualization. I suspect we'll be taking notes for decades to come.
  - pessimizer 4y ago
nivenkos 4y ago
Surprised they don't mention the "occupation" of Königsberg too - try to get Germany on-side in their nuclear war as well.
- aatharuv 4y ago
  Germany doesn't claim Königsberg, now known as Kaliningrad, or any of the territories it ceded to France, Russia, Poland, and I believe Lithuania after World War II. Japan still claims the Northern Territories.
  - sidewndr46 4y ago
    I think they had to give up territorial claims as part of reunification.
- formerly_proven 4y ago
  Everyone knows Kralovec is czech.
  - justsomehnguy 4y ago
    What about Lwow?
MLR 4y ago
It seems a bit of a weird political move for Ukraine to draw attention to dubious post Second World War territorial annexations, a large amount of the territory of the country was acquired after what was basically a war of aggression against Poland - that's just ignoring the stuff acquired from Axis members or co-belligerents. I know it was all rubber stamped after the war, and modern European countries are very unlikely to push it any way, but given how the communist regimes are viewed now I don't know how much people would accept that. Again, I don't think it'll cause any problems, but right now I would be avoiding anything at all controversial given that support for them might wane over winter if things get bad in Europe.
- matthewdgreen 4y ago
  I don't know how cold Europe will get this winter, but I suspect it won't be "reverse territorial losses by the Axis powers" cold. I think in this case you should probably just enjoy (or choose not to enjoy!) Ukraine's joke.
thorncorona 4y ago
Why is this relevant to HN?
- qaq 4y ago
  I guess because enough people upvoted it
  - joemi 4y ago
    And it's Friday. Top posts here seem to be a bit less focused on the typical HN topics on Fridays.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
theonemind 4y ago
For the not-geographically or politically savvy, does this accomplish anything substantive for Ukraine? Did/do they cede any dubious or de-facto-dead but legally standing claims over any Ukraine controlled territory? This just confuses me.
- Mountain_Skies 4y ago
  Too many people think life is a Reddit post, so they're karma farming, expecting some sort of positive outcome from playing a "GOTCHA!" card.
- rjknight 4y ago
  Ukraine is at war with Russia. Japan has a claim over the islands, which are currently held by Russia. For Ukraine, formally recognising Japan's claim to the islands might achieve a few things. First, it might cause Japanese public opinion to change in favour of Ukraine, potentially increasing material Japanese support for the Ukrainian cause. Second, it might cause Russia to divert military resources to the east, in order to forestall any attempt by Japan to re-take the islands by force (though this is very unlikely). Third, it might be a bargaining chip in any future peace treaty between Ukraine and Russia. Most likely, both sides will have to agree to respect the territorial integrity of the other party, so Ukraine might withdraw its recognition of the Japanese claim as part of a deal with Russia. It's unliklely to be a significant factor, but every little helps in a negotiation. I'm sure these are other reasons, but these are the ones that occur to me.
  - app4soft 4y ago
    > Ukraine is at war with Russia. Japan has a claim over the islands, which are currently held by Russia. As an addition, technically Japan still is at WW2 war with Russia (which claimed itself as "the legal successor of the USSR"), because peace treaty still has not been signed since 1945.[0,1] [0] https://time.com/6160029/japan-russia-wwii-ukraine/ https://time.com/6160029/japan-russia-wwii-ukraine/ [1] https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1958/ https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1958/
- 4y ago
podviaznikov 4y ago
so many comments here are unbearable to read for an Ukrainian person. in moments like this I question why I have been on this site for 10 years. anyway, if someone wants to learn more about Ukraine - shoot me a message or give me a call. I think this is more productive than writing comments online.
- helf 4y ago
  I would love to learn more from actual Ukrainians. I have spoken with a few. It’s heart breaking how ridiculous every corner of the Internet can be for one topic or another. You think you find a sanctuary and then… more of the same.
  - podviaznikov 4y ago
    I think this is the best way. There are tons of Ukrainians online who also write in English. I'm more than happy to share many links so that you can pick from them.
- hrbf 4y ago
  Crisis, combined with the pseudo-anonymity of the internet has a tendency to encourage people to show who they really are – and amplify their worst instincts. Unfortunately this leads to the conclusion that many (if not most) of those commenting online are full of shit.
  - podviaznikov 4y ago
    this makes sense. I didn't think about why such comments are here. Just wanted to share that reading them on Friday evening was heartbreaking. and all of the questions popped up in my head: why am I on this site for so many years? who are these people? did I work with the same people in all the tech companies over the years? why do they say those things? why don't they ask questions but make statements?
    - hrbf 4y ago
      Those are very good questions I don’t have an immediate answer for. As with many things regarding human beings, it’s complicated. I don’t believe the best place to discuss them is a flagged submission on HN. If you feel like talking (well, writing) this through a bit more, my email address is in my profile.
Animats 4y ago
This is apparently about the Kuril Islands. Total population around 21,000. Old dispute, which no one is really excited about. Now, what would really upset Russia would be some dissident group in St. Petersburg declaring the Independent Region of Leninburg Oblast. This would begin to undo the takeover of local power which Putin pushed through in 2002. Before that, the regional governments had real power within the Russian Federation. After that, they were subordinate to Moscow. Much of Leninburg Oblast was once Finnish, after all.
yongjik 4y ago
I'd say this motion is basically meaningless and all it means is "Fuck you Russia, in five hundred different ways, and if there's one more way I can say Fuck You I'll find it and do it!" Last spring, the Ukrainian government tweeted the picture of Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito together, saying "Fascism and Nazism were defeated in 1945." Japan complained, and Ukraine apologized and took it down [1]. That is, Ukrainian officers don't really have a deep understanding of East Asian politics, and why would they - it's not their problem, and they have a much much bigger problem at home right now. [1] https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/04/25/national/japan-ukraine-hirohito-twitter/ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/04/25/national/japan-...
chunsj 4y ago
For the Japan, the War criminals of WW2?

93 points by app4soft 4y ago

An English link to the same topic on the same site: https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/treba-zvilnyati-vid-rosijskoyi-okupaciyi-vsi-zemli-yaki-rf-n-78365 https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/treba-zvilnyati-vid-ros... It starts: Dear Ukrainians! An important decision was made today. It's fair. Legally perfect. Historical. Ukraine confirmed its respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Japan, including its Northern territories, which are still under Russian occupation. Today, I signed the relevant decree. There is a corresponding statement of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. And we call on everyone in the world to make similar decisions. Russia has no right to these territories. Everyone in the world knows this well. And we must finally act. We must de-occupy all the lands that the Russian occupiers are trying to keep for themselves.

app4soft 4y ago
> An English link to the same topic Its not the same topic (as it is today's address of President of Ukraine), but it does include excerpts from latest presidential decree. Main link directing to Decree of the President of Ukraine №692/2022 (in Ukrainian), signed today: > 1. Ukraine confirms its respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Japan, including the Northern Territories, which are still under occupation by the Russian Federation. > 2. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, in accordance with the Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of Japan on the establishment of diplomatic relations (in the form of an exchange of letters) dated January 26, 1992, in its activities, proceed from the position specified in Article 1 of this Decree. The Northern Territories are an integral part of the sovereign territory of Japan.

FpUser 4y ago

I very much against what Putin is doing with the Ukraine and Russia. The sooner this abomination is gone the better. However I am under the impression that until their own troubles started Ukraine would not give a flying fuck about Northern territories.

noobermin 4y ago
This is clearly them taunting Putin and Russia.
- isthisthingon99 4y ago
  Or trying to ally japan against russia
  - FpUser 4y ago
    >"Or trying to ally japan against russia" Putin is doing this part just fine on his own. No need for external "help".
  - konsolebox 4y ago
    How are they not automatically allies yet?
  - app4soft 4y ago
    Ukraine & Japan always had good relations[0], so actual step is more about confirming longstanding friendship. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan%E2%80%93Ukraine_relations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan%E2%80%93Ukraine_relation...
    - isthisthingon99 4y ago
      Makes sense, I meant to say it is more like they are deliberately poking Japan to notice Russia is occupying lands they are interested in.
shmerl 4y ago
PR move obviously, but why not.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
kps 4y ago

_Microft 4y ago

Well, one has to admit that Ukraine’s media strategy is top notch.

anonAndOn 4y ago
It's remarkable. Between the myriad international and domestic crowdsourcing events (eg, Bayrakter TB2s [0][1], a Tank [2], lots of Drones [3], First Aid kits [4], etc), the postage stamp [5] and the Foreign Minister doing international late night talk shows[6], they've set the bar for Global PR tactics of an invaded country. [0]https://zrzutka.pl/bayraktar https://zrzutka.pl/bayraktar [1]https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/lithuania-transfer-crowdfunded-bayraktar-drone-ukraine-wednesday-2022-07-06/ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/lithuania-transfer-crow... [2]https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/czech-citizens-raise-13-mln-modernised-tank-ukraine-2022-10-03/ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/czech-citizens-raise-13... [3]https://u24.gov.ua/dronation https://u24.gov.ua/dronation [4]https://twitter.com/ItsBorys/status/1578207951365480448 https://twitter.com/ItsBorys/status/1578207951365480448 [5]https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/12/ukraine-reveals-russian-warship-go-fuck-yourself-postage-stamp https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/12/ukraine-reveal... [6]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjUHY2XgIxE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjUHY2XgIxE
- app4soft 4y ago
  Also, do not forget about the Ukrainian meme forces[0] & North Atlantic Fellas Organization[1] on Twitter, Reddit, etc.[2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12] [0] https://war.ukraine.ua/country-and-society/ukrainian-meme-forces-what-makes-us-laugh-in-the-times-of-russia-s-invasion/ https://war.ukraine.ua/country-and-society/ukrainian-meme-fo... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAFO_(group) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAFO_(group) [2] https://www.cyberscoop.com/nafo-fellas-and-their-memes-ukraine/ https://www.cyberscoop.com/nafo-fellas-and-their-memes-ukrai... [3] https://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-ukrainian-meme-war-defeated-russia-204588 https://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-ukrainian-meme-war-... [4] https://www.coffeeordie.com/ukraine-war-memes https://www.coffeeordie.com/ukraine-war-memes [5] https://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-ukrainian-meme-war-defeated-russia-204588 https://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-ukrainian-meme-war-... [6] https://www.boredpanda.com/ukraine-support-memes/ https://www.boredpanda.com/ukraine-support-memes/ [7] https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/9/6/ukraine-latest-weapon-in-the-war-jokes https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/9/6/ukraine-latest-w... [8] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/18/ukraine-war-meme-fundraising/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/18/ukraine-war-... [9] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/19/world/middleeast/ukraine-memes-russia-fundraising.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/19/world/middleeast/ukraine-... [10] http://www.zhu.edu.ua/journal_cpu/index.php/der_sc/article/view/903 http://www.zhu.edu.ua/journal_cpu/index.php/der_sc/article/v... [11] https://mwi.usma.edu/on-trolls-and-nuclear-signaling-strategic-stability-in-the-age-of-memes/ https://mwi.usma.edu/on-trolls-and-nuclear-signaling-strateg... [12] https://www.politico.eu/article/nafo-doge-shiba-russia-putin-ukraine-twitter-trolling-social-media-meme/ https://www.politico.eu/article/nafo-doge-shiba-russia-putin...

SnooSux 4y ago

https://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/russia/territory/index.html https://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/russia/territory/index.... I wasn't aware of the controversy until now and I assume most people didn't either. This declaration will likely raise awareness but I'd be surprised if it did much else.

app4soft 4y ago
You may be surprised, but in the 1920s there was a border between "Green Ukraine" (Ukrainian colonies) and Karafuto Prefecture (external territory of Japan) in the middle of Sakhalin Island.[0,1,2] [0] https://twitter.com/app4soft/status/1288133055639683072 https://twitter.com/app4soft/status/1288133055639683072 [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Ukraine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Ukraine [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karafuto_Prefecture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karafuto_Prefecture
- baybal2 4y ago
  The entirety of russian far east is not majority russian. It was colonized using interned Ukrainians, Poles, and other captive Eastern Europeans. I spent my early childhood in Vladivostok. The city, and the region has a very different air than the rest of russia. Even places considered "oriental" in russia, like Siberia, or Astrakhan feel much more like the rest of central russia, than parts of russia east of Blahoveschensk.
elihu 4y ago
I'd heard of Kuril islands dispute. The "northern territories" are apparently the four of the Kuril islands that Japan claims as their own but Russia occupies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuril_Islands_dispute https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuril_Islands_dispute

themgt 4y ago

newsclues 4y ago
Funny that Syria is a Russian ally.
- convolvatron 4y ago
  not...really? oddly. the world isn't divided into two teams, things have a little more nuance.
  - account-5 4y ago
    I imagine some Americans would find that hard to believe.
- dotancohen 4y ago
  Funny also that Israel acquired the Golan Heights while defending against a Syrian attack. If Ukraine were to gain territory later in the war, would they disregard it based on a similar principal? Honestly, it looks not unlike Justin Beiber declaring support for some cause which he knows nothing about. They appear to be promoting morality, when really they are promoting an oversimplification for a narrative. But that sure gets Twitter followers, likes, and upvotes.
ramesh31 4y ago
>This is truly a brave and principled stance taken by the government of Ukraine. It's impossible for us to comprehend the mindset or clarity of purpose that such a situation brings. Many of our grandparents knew it, and we called them the Greatest Generation because of it. Zelensky's (and really, all Ukranians) story over these last 8 months has really been the quintessence of self actualization. I suspect we'll be taking notes for decades to come.
- pessimizer 4y ago

nivenkos 4y ago

Surprised they don't mention the "occupation" of Königsberg too - try to get Germany on-side in their nuclear war as well.

aatharuv 4y ago
Germany doesn't claim Königsberg, now known as Kaliningrad, or any of the territories it ceded to France, Russia, Poland, and I believe Lithuania after World War II. Japan still claims the Northern Territories.
- sidewndr46 4y ago
  I think they had to give up territorial claims as part of reunification.
formerly_proven 4y ago
Everyone knows Kralovec is czech.
- justsomehnguy 4y ago
  What about Lwow?

MLR 4y ago

It seems a bit of a weird political move for Ukraine to draw attention to dubious post Second World War territorial annexations, a large amount of the territory of the country was acquired after what was basically a war of aggression against Poland - that's just ignoring the stuff acquired from Axis members or co-belligerents. I know it was all rubber stamped after the war, and modern European countries are very unlikely to push it any way, but given how the communist regimes are viewed now I don't know how much people would accept that. Again, I don't think it'll cause any problems, but right now I would be avoiding anything at all controversial given that support for them might wane over winter if things get bad in Europe.

matthewdgreen 4y ago
I don't know how cold Europe will get this winter, but I suspect it won't be "reverse territorial losses by the Axis powers" cold. I think in this case you should probably just enjoy (or choose not to enjoy!) Ukraine's joke.

thorncorona 4y ago

Why is this relevant to HN?

qaq 4y ago
I guess because enough people upvoted it
- joemi 4y ago
  And it's Friday. Top posts here seem to be a bit less focused on the typical HN topics on Fridays.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

theonemind 4y ago

For the not-geographically or politically savvy, does this accomplish anything substantive for Ukraine? Did/do they cede any dubious or de-facto-dead but legally standing claims over any Ukraine controlled territory? This just confuses me.

Mountain_Skies 4y ago
Too many people think life is a Reddit post, so they're karma farming, expecting some sort of positive outcome from playing a "GOTCHA!" card.
rjknight 4y ago
Ukraine is at war with Russia. Japan has a claim over the islands, which are currently held by Russia. For Ukraine, formally recognising Japan's claim to the islands might achieve a few things. First, it might cause Japanese public opinion to change in favour of Ukraine, potentially increasing material Japanese support for the Ukrainian cause. Second, it might cause Russia to divert military resources to the east, in order to forestall any attempt by Japan to re-take the islands by force (though this is very unlikely). Third, it might be a bargaining chip in any future peace treaty between Ukraine and Russia. Most likely, both sides will have to agree to respect the territorial integrity of the other party, so Ukraine might withdraw its recognition of the Japanese claim as part of a deal with Russia. It's unliklely to be a significant factor, but every little helps in a negotiation. I'm sure these are other reasons, but these are the ones that occur to me.
- app4soft 4y ago
  > Ukraine is at war with Russia. Japan has a claim over the islands, which are currently held by Russia. As an addition, technically Japan still is at WW2 war with Russia (which claimed itself as "the legal successor of the USSR"), because peace treaty still has not been signed since 1945.[0,1] [0] https://time.com/6160029/japan-russia-wwii-ukraine/ https://time.com/6160029/japan-russia-wwii-ukraine/ [1] https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1958/ https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1958/
4y ago

podviaznikov 4y ago

so many comments here are unbearable to read for an Ukrainian person. in moments like this I question why I have been on this site for 10 years. anyway, if someone wants to learn more about Ukraine - shoot me a message or give me a call. I think this is more productive than writing comments online.

helf 4y ago
I would love to learn more from actual Ukrainians. I have spoken with a few. It’s heart breaking how ridiculous every corner of the Internet can be for one topic or another. You think you find a sanctuary and then… more of the same.
- podviaznikov 4y ago
  I think this is the best way. There are tons of Ukrainians online who also write in English. I'm more than happy to share many links so that you can pick from them.
hrbf 4y ago
Crisis, combined with the pseudo-anonymity of the internet has a tendency to encourage people to show who they really are – and amplify their worst instincts. Unfortunately this leads to the conclusion that many (if not most) of those commenting online are full of shit.
- podviaznikov 4y ago
  this makes sense. I didn't think about why such comments are here. Just wanted to share that reading them on Friday evening was heartbreaking. and all of the questions popped up in my head: why am I on this site for so many years? who are these people? did I work with the same people in all the tech companies over the years? why do they say those things? why don't they ask questions but make statements?
  - hrbf 4y ago
    Those are very good questions I don’t have an immediate answer for. As with many things regarding human beings, it’s complicated. I don’t believe the best place to discuss them is a flagged submission on HN. If you feel like talking (well, writing) this through a bit more, my email address is in my profile.

Animats 4y ago

This is apparently about the Kuril Islands. Total population around 21,000. Old dispute, which no one is really excited about. Now, what would really upset Russia would be some dissident group in St. Petersburg declaring the Independent Region of Leninburg Oblast. This would begin to undo the takeover of local power which Putin pushed through in 2002. Before that, the regional governments had real power within the Russian Federation. After that, they were subordinate to Moscow. Much of Leninburg Oblast was once Finnish, after all.

yongjik 4y ago

I'd say this motion is basically meaningless and all it means is "Fuck you Russia, in five hundred different ways, and if there's one more way I can say Fuck You I'll find it and do it!" Last spring, the Ukrainian government tweeted the picture of Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito together, saying "Fascism and Nazism were defeated in 1945." Japan complained, and Ukraine apologized and took it down [1]. That is, Ukrainian officers don't really have a deep understanding of East Asian politics, and why would they - it's not their problem, and they have a much much bigger problem at home right now. [1] https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/04/25/national/japan-ukraine-hirohito-twitter/ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/04/25/national/japan-...

chunsj 4y ago

For the Japan, the War criminals of WW2?