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On February 7, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the 2019 National Rally to Demand the Return of the Northern Territories, held in Tokyo.
 
In his address, the Prime Minister said,
 
 “I will offer a few words on the occasion of the 2019 National Rally to Demand the Return of the Northern Territories.
 
I would first like to offer my heartfelt respect and gratitude to the people in attendance today, and all those around the nation, who work daily with great passion towards the resolution of the Northern Territories issue.
 
I must say it is extraordinary that the Northern Territories issue has still not been resolved, and Japan and Russia have yet to conclude a peace treaty, even 73 years after the end of World War II. In our summit meeting held two years ago in Nagato, President Putin and I expressed our sincere determination to conclude the peace treaty by our own hands, and since then new negotiations and cooperation never seen before between Japan and Russia have taken place, based on the policy of using a new approach to resolve the issue.
 
Following the agreement made in Nagato, the former island residents made a special grave visit by airplane for the first time. In last month’s summit meeting in Moscow, I confirmed with President Putin the importance of these initiatives, and agreed that a special grave visit by former island residents by airplane will be implemented this summer. As the former island residents are of advanced age, we will carry out our utmost efforts to allow them to visit the islands, reducing their physical burdens as much as possible.
 
Regarding the joint economic activities in the Four Northern Islands, our concrete path has become clearer with two consecutive on-site studies, the dispatch of a business mission centered around the private sector, and the roadmap to implement the candidate projects. Based on our perspective of the benefits of the local people and your views, we will continue to work diligently to implement these projects as early as possible in a manner that does not harm the legal positions of either side.
 
Building on the confidence gained through the continued cooperation, in our summit meeting held in Singapore in November last year, President Putin and I agreed to accelerate peace treaty negotiations based on the 1956 Joint Declaration.
 
In January, I spent time holding an in-depth, frank discussion one-on-one with President Putin regarding the peace treaty issue during our summit meeting. We gave instructions to accelerate negotiations on a peace treaty by holding the second round of negotiations between our foreign ministers in February along with those between special representatives.
 
It is not easy to resolve an issue that has remained for 73 years after the end of the war. Even so, we have a duty to follow through. With your earnest wish towards the Northern Territories firmly in mind, we will steadily work on the issues of attribution one step at a time.
 
We have invited President Putin to the G20 Osaka Summit and will hold a summit meeting in June. We will further promote the relationship of trust and friendship between the people of Japan and Russia, and vigorously advance our joint efforts to identify solutions that are acceptable for both sides. By doing so, we will work in negotiations based on a policy of concluding a peace treaty through the resolution of issues concerning the attribution of the Four Northern Islands.
 
To make progress in the negotiations, the Government and people must work together, with each citizen increasing their awareness and understanding of the issue. In closing, going forward, I sincerely ask for your strong support and cooperation. Thank you.”