This was partly caused by the stance of Okamoto, who defied the effect of the treaty between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan, regarded the island as indigenous to Japan, and in principle refused the development of the island by the Russians.
これには、現地の岡本が日露和親条約の効力を否定し、樺太を日本固有の領土とみなして、ロシア側の開発を原則拒否する態度を取っていたことにも原因があった。