Full story
Putin visits Iturup
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, a Japan-claimed island at the end of the Kuril chain near Hokkaido, state media reported on Thursday, a day after major naval drills and a missile firing by ally North Korea.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup”
Reuters said Putin visited the Yasny fish-processing plant on Iturup after overseeing the navy drills in Russia's far east, and it described the trip as Putin's first in person to the island chain.
Japan and Russia never signed a formal World War Two peace treaty because of the unresolved territorial dispute over the islands that Japan calls the Northern Territories.
In footage shown by Vesti TV, Putin stood in a room looking at two large tuna and halibut on a table and stopped to try local fish roe, while Reuters reported he told locals, "What lovely weather you have there, just like a resort!"
The visit followed Wednesday's firing of a ballistic missile by North Korea towards waters off the east of the Korean peninsula, days ahead of major joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington long denounced by Pyongyang.
Tokyo protests sharply
Japan protested Putin's visit, with Reuters reporting that Japan's foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi said, "The northern territories, including Etorofu, are Japan's inherent territory both historically and based on international law," and added, "Japan strongly protests this visit."
Deutsche Welle reported that Japan issued an "enérgica" protest and quoted Motegi saying, "Los Territorios del Norte son parte inherente del territorio japonés, tanto históricamente como bajo el derecho internacional, y el gobierno de Japón protesta enérgicamente por esta visita."
Russian state media and TASS described the trip as Putin's first personal visit to the island chain, and Reuters said he visited the Yasny fish-processing plant on Iturup after overseeing navy drills.
Reuters also reported that Moscow and Tokyo never signed a formal World War Two peace treaty as the main hurdle was the unresolved territorial dispute over the islands.
The Anadolu Ajansı report said Putin told Japan that it continued to maintain territorial claims against his country over the Kuril Islands and that Moscow had constructive relations with Tokyo during former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration.
Tensions and next steps
The visit intensified a long-running dispute over four southern Kuril islands, with Anadolu Ajansı naming Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islets as controlled by Russia while Japan identifies them as the Northern Territories.
“The dispute has prevented the signing of a peace treaty”
Anadolu Ajansı said the dispute has prevented the signing of a peace treaty between the two countries since World War II, and it added that tensions have deepened in recent years amid Japan’s sanctions against Russia over the Russia-Ukraine war.
Reuters linked the trip to wider regional military activity, noting that it came after major naval drills and a missile firing by North Korea and ahead of major joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington.
The Times of India said Putin's trip to Iturup followed his oversight of military exercises involving Russia's Pacific Fleet in Russia's Far East and came a day after North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards waters off the Korean Peninsula.
In the Russian framing, Anadolu Ajansı reported Putin said, "Now we see, unfortunately, changes in positions which, I emphasize, were not provoked in any way on our part," as he addressed Japan's stance on the territorial issue.
