Russia Seizes 4 Boats Off Disputed Islands

Russia has seized four Japanese fishing boats in disputed waters off northern Japan, casting a cloud over a visit to Tokyo on Monday by Russian Prime Minister Sergei V. Kiriyenko. A spokesman for Japan’s Maritime Safety Agency said the boats were seized Friday night off a four-island group known by Japan as the Northern Territories and by Russia as the southern Kurils. The spokesman said the boats were boarded and inspected by the Russian coast guard while they were fishing off one of the islands and were escorted to port. The small islands, long settled by Japan, were seized by Russia in the closing days of World War II and have been a thorn in relations between the two nations.