Former residents of four islands off the east coast of Hokkaido who were driven off by an invasion by the Soviet Union during the last days of World War II are stepping up pressure on the government to convince Russia to allow them to visit their ancestral grave sites on the islands.
Such visits, which were allowed previously, were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and later by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
With an increasing sense of urgency due to their advanced years, the former residents, whose average age is 89, have taken their case directly to the prime minister.
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