Putin says Russia to offer tax breaks to spur business on Kuril islands

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he delivers a speech during a plenary session at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia September 3, 2021. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) - Russia will offer tax breaks to stimulate business on a disputed Pacific island chain and make them available to foreign investors including from Japan, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.

A territorial dispute over the islands, known in Russia as the Kurils and in Japan as the Northern Territories, dates back to the end of World War Two when Soviet troops seized them from Japan. The row has prevented them signing a formal peace treaty.