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Interfax reported Friday that Russia expressed "surprise and regret" over the textbook publication.

"These actions by Japan are regrettable and leave one perplexed. They contribute neither to the development of a positive dialogue between the two countries, nor to the solution of the border issue", the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"These steps have only been fueling tensions setting off

Russia's and Japan's  positions,  and  they  stress  yet  again 

that the sides' attitudes to the problem of territorial delimitation retain some basic divergences", it said.

The South Kuril Islands were occupied by Soviet forces at the end of World War II. The islands are currently under Russian administration, but are claimed by Japan.

	"The  Japanese  authorities,  including  at  the  top 

level, have repeatedly demanded the creation of favorable conditions for reaching a mutually acceptable solution to the border issue between the two countries", the Foreign Ministry said. "Meanwhile, it is obvious that Tokyo continues to pursue a confrontational approach for 'domestic consumption', actively cultivating intransigence in the public."

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