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I just learned that Japan and Russia never formally signed a peace treaty after WWII, and according to Wiki
As of 2015 matters remain unresolved
Does that mean that Japan and Russia are still technically at war? And does that make this Japan-Russia "war" the longest active war today? I seem to remember reading that it was the North-South Korean relationship which was technically the longest active war today.
Surprisingly International Law is much less clear than one would think, but this doesn't seems to be the case.
For one Russia did not exist at that time and so it cannot be at war with anybody since World War II. This also explains why, however you look at it, the Korean War is the longest active war.
But the main reason is that while Soviet Union and Japan never signed a peace treaty they did sign a joint declaration of the end of the state of war that also reestablished normal diplomatic relations. Which is something that North and South Korea have not done. In the same declarations formally decided that they would have started negotiations to sign a peace treaty. It's like you and some other person agree that something you have done together was a mistake but you disagree on whose fault it was.
Let's put this way: they are not a war but they don't know what peace they want yet.
Correct.
The state of war between Japan and Allied Powers was terminated at the signing of San Francisco Treaty of 1951.
USSR refused to sign the treaty, due to dispute over Kuril Islands (which were promised to USSR during Yalta Conference, but not Potsdam, and the treaty was based on Potsdam for reasons discussed on Wikipedia)
The U.S. maintains that until a peace treaty between Japan and Russia is concluded, the disputed Northern Territories remain Japanese territory under Russian control via General Order No. 1. (reference: Bruce A. Elleman, Michael R. Nichols and Matthew J. Ouimet, A Historical Reevaluation of America's Role in the Kuril Islands Dispute, Pacific Affairs, Vol. 71, No. 4 (Winter, 1998-1999), pp. 489-504)
This Asia Times article has a good look at the issue of Kurils.
As of 2015, the issue is still unsettled and therefore Russia and Japan are not in a state of peace yet.
