The Chief Cabinet Secretary and the Foreign Minister of Japan at a recent Diet session said that Russia holds the Southern Kuriles without a legal ground.

Refuting this, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia has all necessary rights concerning Kurils.

It clarified that Russia's right to the Southern Kuriles is legitimate and admits of no doubt. This was fixed by international law and is based on the results of the Second World War which were legitimatized by the UN Charter, it said.