Nikkei wrote that Foreign Minister Kono told a meeting of the Lower House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday that Japan has lodged protests with the United States and Russia over a U.S. firm’s plan to build a power plant on Shikotan Island in the Northern Territories. Kono reportedly said that a third country firm’s engagement in economic activities on the island runs counter to Japan’s position and is extremely regrettable. Kono reportedly added that problems of this sort can’t be settled unless the issue of the Northern Territories is resolved.