Japan protests Putin's visit to disputed Kuril Islands, summons envoy

Japan summoned the Russian ambassador to express its strong protest after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Etorofu Island on August 13. The visit marked Putin's first trip to the Kuril Islands, a chain of islands in the Russian Far East that are also claimed by Japan. The Japanese Foreign Ministry stated that it had summoned Ambassador Nikolay Nozdryov to convey its "strong protest." The dispute over these islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories, has been a long-standing source of tension between Russia and Japan since the Soviet Union occupied them in 1945. The Kremlin released a video showing Putin on the islands, where he was reportedly treated to caviar. Putin's visit to the Kuril Islands followed a trip to Russia's Sakhalin Island, where the country's navy held exercises. In Sakhalin, Putin chaired a meeting on "ensuring the security of Russia's eastern borders," according to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti. Japan's relations with Russia have further deteriorated since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, while Russia's ties with China and North Korea have strengthened. "The Northern Territories... are an inalienable part of Japanese territory both historically and under international law, and therefore the Japanese government expresses its strong protest against this visit," stated Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in a released statement. The strategically important volcanic archipelago north of Hokkaido was occupied by the Soviet Union in the final days of World War II. It remains under Russian military presence. The islands, characterized by a harsh climate and small population, are home to about 20,000 Russian citizens. They are rich in mineral resources, including gold and silver, and the surrounding waters offer abundant fishing grounds. After occupying the islands in 1945, Moscow deported approximately 17,000 Japanese residents. The islands gained strategic significance during the Cold War, hosting air and naval bases as the Soviet Union confronted the U.S. and its closest Pacific ally, Japan. Despite intermittent progress in negotiations between Tokyo and Moscow, a peace treaty has never been signed due to the territorial dispute. In 1956, after the two neighbors re-established diplomatic relations, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev proposed returning two of the disputed islands to Japan as part of a peace treaty.