Visa-free visits to Russian-held isles unlikely this year due to virus

All annual visa-free visits to Russian-held isles off Hokkaido that are claimed by Japan will likely be canceled this year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, a group of Japanese former residents of the isles said Monday.The group has already canceled its six visa-free travel programs scheduled this year that would have allowed them to visit their former places of residence and decided to abort the last one to Etorofu, one of the four disputed islands, slated for Sept. 25 to 28, according to the group.The visa-free programs allow groups of Japanese nationals to travel to the disputed isl…READ FULL ARTICLE