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Putin visits Iturup
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Kuril Islands on Thursday for the first time, drawing condemnation from Tokyo over the islands Russia administers but Japan claims.
“It "hurts the feelings of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable"”
Putin went to the southernmost isle of Iturup, meeting with the regional governor and visiting a fish-processing plant, a hospital and a school, according to Russian state media and CNN’s account.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the visit “absolutely unacceptable,” saying it “offends the sentiments of the Japanese people,” as Reuters reported from Tokyo.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the disputed islands “are an inherent part of Japan’s territory both historically and under international law,” and Japan summoned the Russian ambassador to “strongly protest,” according to Al Jazeera and CNN.
Protests and statements
Japan’s protest centered on the four southernmost islands of the Kuril chain, which Japan calls the Northern Territories and which it says are “incompatible with Japan's consistent position and is absolutely unacceptable,” Takaichi told reporters, according to nippon.
Motegi also framed the issue as legal and historical, telling reporters that “The Northern Territories, including Etorofu (Iturup) Island, are Japan’s inherent territory both historically and from the perspective of international law,” CNN reported.
Reuters said Tokyo warned Putin’s actions had made any improvement of relations difficult, and it noted the visit came two days before Japan marks 81 years since its surrender ended World War Two.
In parallel, Al Jazeera reported that Putin told Japan’s sanctions were “unprovoked,” adding, “we are not threatening Japan … On the contrary, it has territorial claims against our country,” as ties between Tokyo and Moscow worsened after the full-scale conflict in Ukraine began in 2022.
What is at stake
The dispute over the Kurils has kept Moscow and Tokyo from signing a peace treaty formally ending hostilities after World War Two, CNN said, and it also described decades of diplomatic efforts as producing “any visible results.”
“The dispute kept the countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their hostilities”
Reuters tied the territorial issue to Japan’s condition for concluding a formal peace treaty that would unlock closer economic ties, while also noting the island visit came amid regional security pressures including North Korea firing a missile into the sea separating it from Japan.
France 24 reported that Motegi told the Russian ambassador the visit would “have an extremely negative impact on Japan-Russia relations,” and it said Japan summoned the ambassador in Tokyo to lodge a “strong protest.”
Al Jazeera added that the islands’ population of about 20,000 Russian citizens lives in a harsh climate and that the islands have mineral deposits including gold and silver and rich fishing grounds, making the territory’s control and access central to the dispute.
