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Article: Russian emigrants tread water off Japanese bay. (Russian inhabitants of Kuril Islands)
- Article from:
- Insight on the News
- Article date:
- December 12, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Facing spartan conditions and a watery economy, Russian inhabitants of the Kurils live in limbo. Although pro-Japanese sentiment is on the upswing, many people just want to go home.
At first sight, the spare, windswept island of Kunashir off the northern coast of Japan looks like the end of the world. The airport has been closed for repairs for three years. The rusting hulks of a half-dozen fishing boats lie abandoned on the beach at the capital of Yuzhno-Kurilsk, and most of the boats still afloat in the harbor are virtual wrecks. There isn't a paved road on the island. Half the houses, most without indoor plumbing, are for sale, but there are no takers.