Putin’s Kuril Islands Visit Sparks Fresh Protest From Japan

Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited the disputed Kuril Islands for the first time, drawing a strong protest from Japan, which also claims the strategically located territory.

In a report by AFP, the visit was described as the latest development in a long-running territorial dispute that has strained relations between Moscow and Tokyo since the Soviet Union seized the islands from Japan in the final days of World War II.

The Kremlin released video showing Putin on one of the four main islands in the Kuril chain, where Russian media reported that he visited a fish-processing plant and was presented with caviar.

Putin’s visit marked the first trip by a Russian president to the islands since then-President Dmitry Medvedev visited in 2010.

“The Northern Territories are an inherent part of Japan’s territory, both historically and under international law,” Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters.

Putin’s visit “offends the sentiments of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable,” she said, adding that it “made it more difficult to restore relations in the medium to long term.”

Putin travelled to the Kurils after visiting the nearby Russian island of Sakhalin on Wednesday, where the Russian navy was conducting military drills.

While in Sakhalin, Putin, 73, attended a meeting “on ensuring the security of Russia’s eastern borders,” according to RIA Novosti.

Japan also summoned Russia’s ambassador to Tokyo, Nikolai Nozdrev, on Thursday to lodge a “strong protest” over the Russian president’s visit.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told the ambassador that Putin’s trip would “have an extremely negative impact on Japan-Russia relations,” according to a statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

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Relations between Japan and Russia have deteriorated further since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Japan has joined other G7 nations in imposing sanctions on Russia and providing financial and non-lethal defence assistance to Ukraine.

Putin on Wednesday described Japan’s sanctions as “unprovoked”, while accusing Tokyo of treating Russia as a threat despite Moscow not threatening Japan.

“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,” Putin said.

Russia has also strengthened its ties with China, with the two countries conducting joint naval and air exercises in waters around Japan, prompting frequent scrambles by Japanese fighter jets.

North Korea has similarly deepened its military cooperation with Russia, sending troops and artillery shells to support Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine. Pyongyang this month accused Japan of transforming itself into a “war state” because of its military expansion.

Japan’s latest defence white paper highlighted what it considers growing security risks posed by Russia, China and North Korea.

The disputed islands were seized by the Soviet Union in 1945 and have remained under Russian control ever since.

The volcanic chain stretches from Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula southwards towards Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. The four islands at the centre of the dispute have about 20,000 Russian residents and are known for their harsh climate, mineral resources and rich fishing grounds.

Following the Soviet occupation, Moscow deported around 17,000 Japanese residents from the islands.

The Kurils also gained strategic importance during the Cold War because of their location and their use as military bases by the Soviet Union.

“The Kurils have been fortified with Bastion coastal defence missile systems and SU-35 fighter aircraft. These provide Russia with instruments of control over sea lanes in the region, as well as leverage against Japan’s claim to the islands,” said Yee Kuang Heng, a professor at the Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Tokyo.

“Putin’s visit may be a reminder of the cards he holds and also his displeasure with Japan’s continuing sanctions on Russia imposed after the invasion of Ukraine,” Heng told AFP.