Putin Sparks Japanese Protests With First-Ever Visit to Disputed Pacific Island Chain

Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first-ever visit on Thursday to the Kuril Islands, a Russian-controlled Pacific island chain that is also claimed by Japan, prompting an immediate diplomatic protest from Tokyo.

During his trip, President Vladimir Putin toured a fish plant, a hospital, and a school on Iturup, which is one of the chain's southernmost islands. He also held a brief conversation with local residents and met with Valery Limarenko, the governor of Russia's Sakhalin region.

Japan continues to assert its territorial rights over the four southernmost islands of the chain, referring to them as the Northern Territories. The Soviet Union seized these islands from Japan during the final days of World War II, a long-standing dispute that has prevented the two nations from signing a peace treaty to formally conclude their hostilities. Despite decades of diplomatic negotiations, no visible results have been achieved. Furthermore, Moscow has consistently strengthened its military presence on the Kuril Islands to reinforce its firm stance in the territorial disagreement.

In response to the trip, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi stated that his country "strongly protests" against the visit to Iturup, which Japan calls Etorofu. Minister Motegi emphasized in a statement that the Northern Territories, including Etorofu Island, represent Japan's inherent territory from both historical and international law perspectives. Japan previously lodged protests in 2021 when then-Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Iturup.

Before arriving on Iturup, President Vladimir Putin toured several regions across Russia's Siberia and the Far East, which included a stop on Sakhalin Island to observe the conclusion of military drills conducted by Russia's Pacific Fleet.