KUSHIRO – About 50 Russians from disputed islands off Hokkaido arrived Wednesday in the northern city of Nemuro on a visa-free visit, the first to take place this year under a bilateral exchange program.
The trip by teenagers and their escorts follows Russia’s earlier cancelation of a visa-free visit by Japanese to the islands. Moscow cited administrative reasons in calling off the visit planned for mid-May, but has since rescheduled it for June 5, the Foreign Ministry has announced.
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