Muneo House used as hotel

The bilateral friendship facility dubbed Muneo House on Russian-held Kunashiri Island has been used as a hotel, deviating from its original purpose, according to sources from the two countries.

Since fiscal 2003, Japan has paid some 3.7 million yen annually to maintain the facility. Officially called the House of Friendship, it was built on the disputed island in 1999 for 463 million yen under a Japanese aid project, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The facility was nicknamed Muneo House after House of Representatives member Muneo Suzuki, who once had strong influence over Japan’s policy on the Russian-held islands and was reportedly heavily involved in the facility’s construction.

“We have not confirmed this yet, but I think it can be called out-of-purpose use,” said an official in the ministry’s Russia Division. Read more » »