Russia's Putin visits Japan-claimed islands for first time; Tokyo protests
Japan protested after Putin inspected a fish-processing plant, hospital and school, underscoring the unresolved dispute that has blocked a peace treaty for decades.
- On Thursday, August 13, 2026, President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup Island in the Kuril chain, touring a fish-processing plant after overseeing Pacific Fleet naval exercises near Sakhalin Island.
- The Kuril Islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories, have been disputed since the Soviet Union seized the archipelago in 1945 and deported about 17,000 Japanese residents, preventing a formal peace treaty.
- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters the visit "offends the sentiments of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable," while Tokyo summoned the Russian ambassador to lodge a formal protest.
- Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, responded by stating the islands "were, are, and will remain Russian land," dismissing Tokyo's claims and warning of "monstrous consequences" for questioning Moscow's sovereignty.
- Serving as a strategic buffer housing Bastion coastal missile systems for Russian nuclear submarine bases, the islands remain a flashpoint with bilateral ties frozen since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and Japan coordinating G7 sanctions.
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275 Articles
Tokyo goes back to the 17th century, but Russians generally place their sovereignty in the last days of World War II, when Soviet troops occupied the islands after Japan’s surrender in 1945. “This hurts the feelings of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a televised statement. “We hope that the Russian side will take the seriousness of this issue very seriously,” she added.
Putin Visits Islands Seized From Japan in World War II, Angering Tokyo
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan has been a public critic of Mr. Putin, who has denounced her country’s sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine war. Source link : https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/world/asia/putin-visit-islands-japan-russia.html Author : Javier C. Hernández and Paul Sonne Publish date : 2026-08-13 22:38:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
Putin’s First Ever Visit To Japanese-Claimed Islands Provokes Outrage In Tokyo
Putin’s First Ever Visit To Japanese-Claimed Islands Provokes Outrage In Tokyo Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday made a provocative visit to the far-eastern Kuril islands for the first time ever. Japan immediately lodged a “strong” protest given it also has long claimed the territory, resulting in an avalanche of denunciatory headlines in Japanese press. Putin held a meeting there “on ensuring the security of Russia’s eastern borders…
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to the disputed Kuril Islands. It made the Japanese Prime Minister see red. – It is completely unacceptable, says Sanae Takaichi according to the BBC.
This is the first time the Russian leader has visited the Kuril Islands, according to state media
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