Japan Protests Putin's Visit to Disputed Kuril Islands

Japan has lodged a strong protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to the Kuril Islands, which Tokyo claims as its Northern Territories. The islands, occupied by the Soviet army in 1945, remain a point of contention between the two nations, preventing a formal peace treaty since World War II.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi stated that the Northern Territories are an "inseparable part of Japanese territory both historically and under international law." He emphasized that Japan "strongly protests this visit."

Putin's visit to the far-eastern archipelago, also claimed by Japan, occurred after he attended Russian navy maneuvers and a meeting on "security of Russia's eastern borders" in Sakhalin. This visit further strains relations between Japan and Russia, which have already been tense due to Japan's imposition of strict sanctions against Moscow in response to its aggression in Ukraine.

This is not the first time a Russian leader has visited the disputed territory. In 2010, then-President Dmitry Medvedev became the first Russian leader to visit the Kuril Islands. He has since visited the area multiple times, even while serving as prime minister.

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The Northern Territories are (..) an inseparable part of Japanese territory both historically and under international law, and the Japanese government strongly protests this visit.