1st LD Writethru: Russian PM arrives on disputed Kuril Islands

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev arrived on the disputed Kuril Islands for a working visit, Russian media reported on Saturday.

Medvedev plans to take part in a national youth forum on the Kuril island of Iturup and visit a few construction sites that are part of Russia's Kuril development program mapped out until 2025, Sputnik reported.

The report said this is the first time that the 12-day Iturup National Youth Education Forum has been held on the disputed islands.

All of the Kuril islands, located in the Sea of Okhotsk, have been administered by Russia since the end of World War II, but Japan also claims sovereignty over four of them -- Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai.

Tokyo lodged a formal complaint last week with the Russian Embassy in Japan over Medvedev's planned visit to the islands. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russian officials would continue working visits to the Kuril Islands despite Japan's protests.

Russia maintains Tokyo's claims demonstrate its "blatant disregard for the commonly-accepted outcome of the Second World War."

According to Sputnik, the Russian government adopted a Kuril development program this month with an overall budget of more than 60 billion rubles (940 million U.S. dollars) on the islands to construct housing and social infrastructure, modernize transport systems and expand telecommunications. Endi