The Hokkaido Museum in Sapporo has been surveying historical artifacts on the four Russian-held isles claimed by Japan through a bilateral arrangement that lets Japanese former residents make visa-free visits.
Hiroshi Ushiro, the chief curator, used the program to make visits from 2005 through 2018 with Russian specialists and other experts. The group discovered 82 historical objects on Kunashiri, 15 on Etorofu and 22 on Shikotan that ranged from stone implements made in the Paleolithic Age to dwelling sites from the Jomon Period and remains of Ainu, Japan's indigenous people, the museum said. The fourth area is the Habomai islet group.
The surveys concluded that the islands' residents conducted exchanges with eastern Hokkaido and formed virtually one cultural area with it.