TOKYO APPLAUDS YELTSIN SPEECH.

A top Japanese government spokesman on March 7 welcomed a reference to the Russo-Japanese Kuril Islands dispute made by President Boris Yeltsin in his state of the nation address to parliament one day earlier. It was the first time Yeltsin has made mention of the long-standing territorial dispute in his annual speech. The official suggested Tokyo was also heartened by Yeltsin’s reaffirmation that Russo-Japanese relations should be strengthened on the basis of the 1993 Tokyo Declaration. (Kyodo, March 7)

Russian Cadet Kills Six.