Kuril Islands Dispute Flares as Putin Challenges Japan, US Backs Tokyo

Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to Iturup Island, a key territory in the disputed Southern Kuril Islands chain, has reopened a deep political wound from World War II. This move has triggered a severe diplomatic clash between Moscow and Tokyo, reigniting tensions over the sovereignty of the islands.

The confrontation quickly drew in the United States, which declared its support for Japan's claims. In response, Russia has escalated its rhetoric and actions, signaling a hardening of its position. The dispute centers on islands that Japan calls the Northern Territories and Russia calls the Kuril Islands, which were seized by the Soviet Union in the final days of World War II.

This territorial dispute has been a major obstacle to the signing of a formal peace treaty between Russia and Japan since the war's end. Putin's visit, the first by a Russian leader to the islands since the Soviet era, is seen as a significant assertion of Russian control and a challenge to Japan's long-held claims.