This year\’s first group of \»visa-free\» Japanese people went to the Kuril Islands

Photo: ITAR-TASS

This year\’s first group of Japanese in the 62 man went today for visa-free exchange program for the Southern Kuriles. Specially built for such trips ship «Etopirika» from the port of Nemuro on Japan\’s northernmost island of Hokkaido bring this delegation to the island of Kunashir.

Members of the group are going to, in particular, to visit the Japanese cemetery and hold a series of meetings with local Russian residents. Return to Nemuro is scheduled for May 20.

New ship «Etopirika» specially prepared for transportation of participants visa-free exchanges. Ship of 1124 tons calculated by almost 90 passengers. On the «Etopirike» include lifts for elderly travelers, cabins adapted to move in a wheelchair, as former Japanese residents of the South Kuril Islands are in very old age. The name «Etopirika» is taken from the Ainu language and refers to a species of sea birds.

This year, the Kuril Islands will visit about 30 visa delegations from Japan. The Russian side will travel to Japan, the first group of the Kuril children, they will visit Tokyo.

Visa-free exchanges of this kind carried out in 1991. Since then, the Japanese have visited about 8.5 thousand inhabitants Etorofu and Shikotan. Southern Kurils visited over 18 thousand Japanese.