Russia's Medvedev: Moscow Will Deploy New Weapons on Kuril Islands

Senior Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday that Moscow will deploy new weapons on the Kuril Islands which are at the center of a territorial dispute with Japan, the state news agency TASS reported.

Russia and Japan have never signed a peace treaty formally ending the conflict between them that dates back to World War II, with the Kuril Islands – which Japan calls the Northern Territories – remaining the primary stumbling block between the two sides.

TASS cited Medvedev as saying Russia was not against signing a peace treaty with Japan, but only if Tokyo no longer disputed the islands' status.