Japan Protested Putin’s Visit to Kuril Islands Amid Ongoing Dispute

Japan’s foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi issued a strong protest after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, known in Japan as Etorofu, one of the four southernmost islands claimed by both countries.

Putin looking at a distance, wearing a dark coloured suit
Russian state media said it was Putin’s first visit to the Kuril islands.

The southern Kuril islands lie between Japan’s Hokkaido island and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. The four islands—Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and the Habomai group—are administered by Russia, but Japan claims them as its Northern Territories and argues that they fall under international law and historical entitlement.

During his visit on Thursday, Putin sampled fish roe and reportedly spoke to island locals, according to Russian state media.

The islands are strategic military positions for Russia, with Iturup serving as the primary air base in the region.

The same dispute has prevented the signing of a formal peace treaty between Moscow and Tokyo since World War II. Russia’s recent joint naval patrols with China and its military drills near the islands have drawn condemnation from Japan, further inflaming the rivalry.