On 19 October 1956, in Moscow, the Soviet Union and Japan sign the Soviet–Japanese Joint Declaration, ending the state of war, restoring diplomatic and consular relations and providing for the repatriation of Japanese prisoners.

Negotiations (13–19 October) involved Bulganin, Khrushchev and Prime Minister Hatoyama. The Declaration leaves open the territorial issue of the Kuril Islands / Northern Territories, pending a later peace treaty (still unconcluded).

It entered into force on 12 December 1956; registered with the UN as UNTS No. 3768. It remains the legal basis of postwar bilateral relations.

The official text is on UNTS / Wikisource.

For East Asia, 19 October 1956 marks the Moscow signature.

The document is available on treaties.un.org.

The Joint Declaration of 19 October 1956 remains the milestone ending the USSR–Japan state of war.

Image: Moscow / Tokyo; Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Soviet–Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956. Treaty text: Wikisource / UNTS — Joint Declaration 1956.