Japan Issues Diplomatic Protest After Russian President Vladimir Putin Visits Disputed Kuril Islands

Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the Kuril Islands, a Moscow-controlled Pacific archipelago also claimed by Japan, prompting a strong diplomatic protest from Tokyo.

During his trip, President Vladimir Putin visited a fish plant, a hospital, and a school on Iturup, one of the volcanic chain's southern islands. He also spoke briefly with local residents and met with Valery Limarenko, the governor of Russia's Sakhalin region.

Japan claims territorial rights to the four southernmost islands of the chain, referring to them as the Northern Territories. The Soviet Union took control of these islands in the final days of World War II, a dispute that has prevented the two nations from signing a formal peace treaty to end their hostilities.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi stated that his country strongly protests the visit to Iturup, which Japan calls Etorofu. Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned Russian Ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev to the ministry in Tokyo to lodge a formal protest and requested that he report the message directly to Moscow.

The Russian Embassy in Japan dismissed Tokyo's protest as unfounded, stating through Ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev that the southern Kuril Islands are an integral part of the Russian Federation based on legitimate international grounds following World War II. The embassy added that travel by President Vladimir Putin constitutes a sovereign decision of the Russian leadership.

Prior to arriving on Iturup, President Vladimir Putin stopped on Sakhalin Island to observe naval drills conducted by Russia's Pacific Fleet. Aboard a participating warship, President Vladimir Putin noted that while Russia had previously sought constructive solutions and peace treaty discussions with Japan—highlighting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe—relations shifted significantly after Japan imposed sanctions following the conflict in Ukraine.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi condemned the visit as incompatible with Japan's position on the Northern Territories and entirely unacceptable. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned that the trip further strains bilateral relations and hardens Japanese public sentiment.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chair of Russia's Security Council and former president, dismissed the backlash on social media, asserting that the Kuril Islands remain permanently Russian territory.