Report: Russia Seizes 2 Japanese near Disputed Islands

A boat with two Japanese and two Russian nationals on board has been seized by Russia's border guard near the disputed Kuril islands, a news report said Tuesday.

Russia has informed the Japanese foreign ministry about the capture off the Kurils, which are claimed by both countries and are officially known as the Northern Territories in Japan, Japan's public broadcaster NHK said.

The vessel was carrying sea cucumbers, NHK reported, adding that further details such as which country the vessel belonged to remained unknown.

Immediate confirmation of the reports was not available.

The two nations have never formally signed a World War II peace treaty because Japan maintains its claim over the islands, which Russia has controlled and tried to develop since Japan's surrender at the end of the war.

Tokyo still claims the chain's four southernmost islands, a sore spot that continues to cast a cloud over Russian-Japanese relations and complicate investment and trade.