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Prime Minister Attends the 2007 National Rally to Demand the Return of the Northern Territories
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the 2007 National Rally to Demand the Return of the Northern Territories, held in Tokyo. February 7 marks Northern Territories Day, an event established with the aim of arousing national interest in and deepening understanding of the Northern Territories issue and further promoting the progress of the national movement for the return of the Northern Territories. The National Rally is held on this date every year when concerned people in government and private capacities gather together at a single venue and call for the further advancement of the movement and express their strong resolve to demand the early return of the territories. In his address, Prime Minister Abe expressed his determination by saying, "I will strenuously engage in the negotiations with the Russian side in line with the government's basic position of resolving the issue of the attribution of the Four Northern Islands and concluding a peace treaty with Russia. Twenty-one years ago, when my father was serving as Minister for Foreign Affairs, he resumed peace treaty negotiations on the foreign ministerial level for the first time in ten years, devoting himself wholeheartedly to resolving the Northern Territories issue. I am determined to succeed his will by making every effort to resolve the issue and conclude a peace treaty with Russia."
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