Japan protests Putin visit to disputed Kuril Islands

Japan sharply protested after Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to a disputed Pacific island chain claimed by both Moscow and Tokyo, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi calling the trip “absolutely unacceptable.”

Russian state media reported that Putin visited Iturup on Thursday, the southernmost island in the Russian-administered Kuril chain and one of four islands Japan claims as its Northern Territories. The island is known in Japan as Etorofu.

Speaking at the prime minister’s office, Takaichi said Putin’s visit “wounds the feelings of the Japanese people” and is “incompatible with Japan’s consistent position on the Northern Territories.” She said the trip “has worsened Japanese sentiment towards Russia” and urged Moscow to “take the gravity of this matter very seriously.”

Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also condemned the visit, saying the islands are “inherently Japanese territory both historically and under international law, and the Government of Japan strongly protests this visit.” Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs later summoned the Russian ambassador to protest, Al Jazeera reported.

The Kuril Islands stretch between Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. Japan claims the four southernmost islands: Kunashir, Habomai, Shikotan and Iturup, known in Japanese as Kunashiri, Habomai, Shikotan and Etorofu. Russia administers them.

The dispute dates to the end of World War Two, when the Soviet Union seized the island chain in 1945 and deported about 17,000 Japanese residents. The territorial disagreement has prevented Japan and Russia from signing a formal peace treaty after the war.

During the visit, Putin met the regional governor and toured sites including a fish-processing plant, a hospital and a school, according to Russian state media cited by Al Jazeera. The BBC reported that Putin sampled fish roe and spoke with island residents.

The islands are home to about 20,000 Russian citizens, Al Jazeera reported. They have rich fishing grounds and mineral deposits including gold and silver, and they have long held military significance. The BBC reported that Iturup serves as Russia’s primary military air base in the region.

Moscow has strengthened its military presence on the islands over the past decade. Russia also conducts regular military drills near the chain, drawing condemnation from Japan. Last month, Chinese and Russian naval warships sailed through a strait in the Kuril Islands during a joint patrol.

Putin traveled to the Kurils after visiting the nearby Russian island of Sakhalin on Wednesday, where Russia’s navy was conducting drills. Russian media said he held a meeting there “on ensuring the security of Russia’s eastern borders.”

Relations between Tokyo and Moscow have deteriorated since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Japan has joined other Group of Seven countries in sanctioning Russia and has provided money and non-lethal defense aid to Kyiv.

On Wednesday, Putin called Japan’s sanctions “unprovoked.” He said, “Japan has identified Russia as a main source of threats. I would like to point out that we are not threatening Japan … On the contrary, it has territorial claims against our country.”

Japan has protested previous visits by senior Russian officials to the disputed islands, including Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Attempts to resolve the territorial dispute have made little progress.