Russia is condemning Japan for what it says is an attempt by Tokyo to ignite a territorial dispute through renewed claims to Russian islands in the East Sea.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said a textbook approved by the Japanese government for use next year in elementary schools is highlighting Tokyo’s claims to the South Kuril Islands, which were annexed by Russia after World War Two.

Russia warned that Japan’s persistent territorial claims undermine the development of bilateral relations.

Russia and Japan have been disputing ownership over the four islands in the chain for years, with the issue being the major stumbling block that has kept the two nations from adopting a formal peace treaty following World War Two.

The friction has been increasing since the Japanese parliament passed a motion in July 2009 to revise a law that claims the four islands are part of Japan's sovereign territory.