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Putin visits Kurils
Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands on Thursday, landing on the island chain that Tokyo calls the Northern Territories and Russia administers as the Southern Kurils.
“The visit "hurts the feelings of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable"”
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the visit “hurts the feelings of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable,” and Reuters reported that Japan’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russian ambassador Nikolai Nozdrev to lodge a formal protest.
The dispute centers on four islands—Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group—seized by Moscow in the days after Japan’s surrender in World War Two, with Tokyo maintaining its claim as a condition for concluding a formal peace treaty.
Russian state media said Putin visited a fish-processing plant, a hospital and a school on Iturup, and Reuters reported that Putin told residents in a Kremlin-published video clip, “What lovely weather you have there, just like a resort!”
The visit followed Putin’s trip on Wednesday to Sakhalin, where he held a meeting “on ensuring the security of Russia’s eastern borders,” according to Russian media cited by Reuters.
Tokyo protests, Moscow counters
Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned the Russian ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev, and The Guardian reported that Takaichi called Putin’s actions “absolutely unacceptable”.
In response to Tokyo’s protest, Dmitry Medvedev threatened Japan with “Monstrous Consequences” over the Kuril Islands dispute, writing on X that “They were, are, and will be Russian land.”
The Guardian said the islands are “both historically and under international law” part of Japan, and it described how the dispute has prevented a formal peace treaty between Japan and Russia.
Reuters reported that the Russian embassy in Tokyo said Putin’s travels within Russia were “entirely a matter for the Russian leadership to decide and cannot be the subject of discussion with foreign states,” while Medvedev posted on X that the islands “were, are, and will remain Russian land.”
The Guardian also noted that Putin’s visit came as Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine prompted Japan to impose sanctions, and it quoted Putin acknowledging Shinzo Abe’s remarks while calling the sanctions “unprovoked.”
Strategic stakes and next moves
The Kuril Islands’ strategic importance is a recurring theme across the coverage, with Reuters describing the islands as close to Japan’s main islands and DW noting that they are strategically located and have long been tied to military presence.
“Moscow deported their Japanese population of about 17,000 people”
DW reported that the Soviet Union took the islands in 1945 and that Moscow deported their Japanese population of about 17,000 people, while the islands are now inhabited by some 20,000 Russian citizens.
Reuters said Putin’s visit came two days before Japan marks 81 years since its surrender ended World War Two, and it also placed the timing a day after North Korea fired a missile into the sea separating it from Japan ahead of major joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington.
The Guardian said the islands provide access to rich fishing grounds and valuable mineral deposits, and it described how Japanese television showed Putin visiting a hospital, meeting residents and trying caviar on Etorofu/Iturup.
In the background of the diplomatic standoff, Reuters reported that Japan’s claim to the islands is a condition for concluding a formal peace treaty, while the Russian embassy argued the islands are integral to Russia on “legitimate international grounds.”
