- Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has criticised Vladimir Putin's first-ever visit to the disputed Kuril islands on Thursday as "absolutely unacceptable".
- Putin's trip "has worsened Japanese sentiment towards Russia," Takaichi told reporters, maintaining the island chain was "a unique territory of [Japan] historically and under international law".
- Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi stated that the islands were "inherently Japanese territory both historically and under international law, and the Government of Japan strongly protests this visit".
- During his visit, Putin sampled fish roe and spoke to island locals, Russian state media reported.
- At the end of World War Two, the Soviet Union annexed the island chain and deported around 17,000 Japanese residents.
- The countries have been locked in a dispute over the Kurils for decades, and it is the main reason Moscow and Tokyo did not sign a peace treaty after World War Two.
- Japan has protested against previous visits by Russian officials to the disputed islands, including Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and his predecessor Dmitry Medvedev.
- Last month, Chinese and Russian naval warships sailed through a strait in the Kuril islands during a joint patrol.
- Over the years, attempts to resolve the territorial dispute have made little progress.
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has sharply criticized Vladimir Putin's inaugural visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, labeling it "absolutely unacceptable" and detrimental to Japanese-Russian relations. Takaichi stated that the visit "wounds the feelings of the Japanese people" and contradicts Japan's longstanding position on the islands, which it claims based on historical and international law.1
The islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories, have been a point of contention since the end of World War II when the Soviet Union annexed them, leading to the displacement of around 17,000 Japanese residents. Takaichi emphasized that the islands are "a unique territory of [Japan] historically and under international law," reinforcing Japan's claim.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also protested the visit, asserting that the islands are "inherently Japanese territory". He echoed Takaichi's sentiments, stating that the Japanese government strongly opposes Putin's actions, which have further strained relations between the two nations. The ongoing dispute over the Kuril Islands remains a significant barrier to a peace treaty between Japan and Russia, unresolved since World War II.
Takaichi expressed hope that Russia would recognize the seriousness of the situation, urging a reconsideration of their actions regarding the islands.
“Putin's visit to Iturup, known in Japan as Etorofu, marks the first by a Russian leader to the chain, which Russia annexed after World War Two, deporting around 17,000 Japanese residents. Japan has imposed sanctions on Russia over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and ties remain frosty.”
