Sakhalin: The Island of Unspoken Struggles

Sakhalin Island or Karafuto as it is known in Japan changed hands a number of times during the course of its history. Each change had a far-reaching impact not only on the native peoples but also on the thousands of immigrants who had settled there, either willingly or by force.

For over a century, two major powers, the Soviet Union and Japan, endeavored to bring Sakhalin into their own sphere of influence. This long-standing dispute between the two countries came to an abrupt end when the ...