http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20051118TDY03001.htmRussia erects 'church' on Suisho Island
The Yomiuri Shimbun
SAPPORO--Construction has been completed on what appears to be a Russian Orthodox church on an uninhabited island off Hokkaido, located in the Russian-held northern territories.
The building was completed on Suisho Island--part of the Habomai group of islets and located about seven kilometers off eastern Hokkaido--early this week.
Staff at Hoppokan, a Northern Territories Issue Association-run exhibition center located at the tip of Cape Nosappu, in Nemuro, Hokkaido, noticed the construction had begun on Nov. 8, reaching near-completion Sunday.
While there is a Russian Border Guard base located on Suisho Island, there are no permanent residents there.
"Nobody lives on Suisho Island, so there's no reason for a religious facility there," said Hirokazu Suzuki, deputy director of the League of Residents of Chishima and Habomai Islands. "It's a provocative act ahead of a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin [next Sunday]."
The building was constructed on a hill along the island's Bokkizenbe Bay, facing Cape Nosappu.
When staff at Hoppokan first noticed the construction on Nov. 8, there were several workers laying its foundation.
Frames were erected the next day, followed by a roof, which bore what appeared to be a cross of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Interfax news agency reported in June that Russia would construct a religious facility on the island.
(Nov. 18, 2005)
