The Press : No Man Is an Island

Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin stunned Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa last week when he abruptly called off a visit to Tokyo. The announcement dashed Japan’s hopes that Yeltsin might finally be preparing to return four islands in the Kuril chain that were seized by Soviet troops at the end of World War II. Japan has pledged that it will give large-scale aid to Russia only if it returns the islands and signs a peace treaty finally ending their World War II hostilities.

But those hostilities show no signs of abating now. Indeed, the day after Yeltsin canceled his trip, a report surfaced that a local Russian government unit on one of the islands had agreed to lease land to a Hong Kong company that wants to develop a big leisure center there--including hotels, casinos and a dog track--and lure Asians looking for an affordable getaway.

At least, though, the dispute provides fodder for editorial cartoonists, as these examples demonstrate.