The Location of The Incident
It would have worked in the past. However, things are not the same anymore. So-called 'northern islands' is another emotional issue politicians can tap on.
As far as I know, Soviet Union took them because it rings around the entrance to Sea of Okhotsk.
They didn't "take" them. Japan surrendered them in the treaty of San Francisco, in 1951. It is NOT Japanese territory. Then again, I think that the treaty says that those islands are ours. :-)