Putin makes first visit to disputed Kuril Islands, prompting strong Japanese protest

The Kuril Islands/Northern Territories have been a constant thorn in Japan-Russia relations. Putin just made it worse.

Vladimir Putin has made a historic first visit to the Russian-claimed Kuril Islands, referred to by Japan as its Northern Territories.

The diplomatic spat continues to simmer as Moscow summons Tokyo’s ambassador after the Russian president’s trip to the disputed islands last weekThe diplomatic spat between Japan and Russia following Vladimir Putin’s visit to an archipelago of disputed islands north of Hokkaido continues to escalate, after Moscow summoned the Japanese ambassador on Tuesday.On Thursday Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s prime minister, called Putin’s actions “absolutely unacceptable” and Russia’s ambassador in Tokyo was immediately called in for a dressing down. Russia countered that it was Japan making unfounded claims on its territory. Continue reading...

The first-ever visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to one of the disputed Kuril islands off the far northern tip of Japan last week triggered a swift and angry response from Tokyo. Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a social media post that Putin’s visit was “absolutely unacceptable” while referring to the islands, which it calls the “Northern Territories” as “inherently Japanese territory.” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in response that the islands are an “integral part” of Russia. The Kuril islands were seized by Soviet troops two weeks after Japan’s official surrender ending World War II on August 15, 1945, with the 17,300 Japanese residents forced […]...Keep on reading: Putin visited Kuril to 'punish' Japan over Ukraine stance

Tokyo condemned president Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to Russia’s far-eastern Kuril Islands, which Japan also claims.

Moscow said on Monday it had summoned the Japanese ambassador after Tokyo condemned President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to Russia’s far-eastern Kuril Islands, which are also claimed by Japan. Russian-Japanese relations have long been dogged by the contested islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and seized by the Soviet Union in 1945. Putin, 73, travelled to the islands after visiting the nearby Russian island of Sakhalin, prompting Japan to summon Russia’s ambassador in...

Analysts have said a visit by Russia's leader to a disputed island chain sent a "message" to Japan, which for decades has sought to reclaim control of the territory.

Analysts have said a visit by Russia's leader to a disputed island chain sent a "message" to Japan, which for decades has sought to reclaim control of the territory.

The Russian leader’s first visit to the disputed Kuril islands has exposed how far ties between Moscow and Tokyo have deteriorated, and why Japan has grown increasingly assertive in expanding its military capabilities. Namita Singh writes

AP —  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday made his first visit to the Kuril Islands, a Moscow-controlled Pacific archipelago that also is claimed by Japan, which voiced a diplomatic protest over the trip. Putin visited a fish plant, a hospital and a school on Iturup, one of the volcanic chain’s southern islands. He also briefly … The post Japan condemns Putin’s visit to disputed islands appeared first on Egypt Independent.

Vladimir Putin’s unprecedented visit to the disputed southern Kuril Islands is among a broader joint push by Beijing and Moscow to pressure Japan over a range of grievances, including sanctions on Russia and the Taiwan issue, experts say. The Russian president’s symbolic visit on Thursday to the far east volcanic archipelago north of Japan’s Hokkaido – which Japan calls the Northern Territories – was days ahead of the anniversary on Saturday of Japan’s surrender in World War II. It is Putin’s...

President Putin’s historic Kuril Islands visit sparks a diplomatic crisis with Japan. Know more about the disputed islands and the deepening political tensions between the two nations

Japan protested Vladimir Putin’s first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, escalating tensions over territory claimed by both Tokyo and Moscow.

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," state RIA Novosti said. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi shot back: "The Northern Territories are an inherent part of Japan's territory both historically and under international law, and the government of Japan strongly protests this visit." Kremlin Pool via AP More importantly, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi blasted the trip by Putin as "absolutely unacceptable" and stated it "hurts the feelings of the Japanese people." Japan deems the island chain its own Northern Territories since World War II, during which time they were seized by the Soviet Union, in 1945. Japan's claim on the territory ultimately stretches all the way back to the 17th century, the country's officials maintain. Another provocation was that Putin oversaw Russian naval exercises while on the island of Sakhalin. He also visited a fish-processing plant in Iturup, the largest of the Kuril Islands, where he was given caviar, Kremlin-published videos showed. The Russian military has had a presence on the islands going all the way back to WW2. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvdev had actually been the first Russian leader to have stepped foot on the islands back in 2010. Medvedev has chimed in aggressively, in response to the Japanese prime minister's statement. "Takaichi can prattle on all she likes about the Kuril Islands being ‘historically Japanese,’ but this chatter won’t change a thing. They were, are, and will remain Russian land," he said on X. "Anyone who fails to understand this will face the monstrous consequences of their delusion," Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, added. Meanwhile, the NY Times points out that this highly symbolic move by Putin is fundamentally in protest of Japan's stance on Ukraine, which has worsened relations between Tokyo and Moscow: Mr. Putin used the visit to reassert Russia’s territorial claims and to protest Japan’s ongoing sanctions against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. A day before the visit, he said that Russia’s claim to the islands was a "reality" that had been "enshrined in international documents." "We are not threatening Japan. We have absolutely no claims against it," Mr. Putin said. "On the contrary, Japan has territorial claims against our country." Während seines ersten Besuchs auf den Kurilen-Inseln probierte Wladimir Putin in einer Fischfabrik auf der Insel Iturup Kaviar aus der Region Sachalin. Er hatte den Unternehmern aus dem Fernen Osten im Jahr 2024 einen Besuch der Kurilen-Inseln versprochen. https://t.co/0A9cLrl2xf pic.twitter.com/PLrWaNlbjA — RUSSNiUS 🇷🇺 (@vladi2726) August 13, 2026 Just ahead of the visit, Putin had said: "Japan, our neighboring country, has used the events in Ukraine as a pretext, without examining the causes of the conflict, to pursue an unprovoked policy against Russia." Takaichi for her part, has warned Russian leaders to stay away from the islands - but clearly to no avail. Instead, Putin kind of rubbed it in... "Look at this great weather, it’s like a resort!" Putin said said in video footage, to which a local woman responded that the climate is usually windy and foggy. "The weather is smiling on you," she said. Tyler Durden Thu, 08/13/2026 - 18:00

MOSCOW, Russia — Called the Kuril islands by Russia and the Northern Territories by Japan, the volcanic islands lay at the heart of a territorial feud that has prevented the two countries from formally ending World War II. The row flared again on Thursday, with President Vladimir Putin’s first visit to the islands prompting protests by Japan. READ: Japan protests Putin’s first visit to disputed islands Here are some key facts about the Kuril islands: Location Japan claims four of the islands — Iturup (Etorofu in Japanese), Kunashir (Kunashiri), Shikotan and Habomai. They are the closest to Japan, just off the […]...Keep on reading: Kuril islands: strategic chain at heart of Russia-Japan dispute

MOSCOW, Russia — President Vladimir Putin visited Russia’s far-eastern Kuril islands for the first time on Thursday, prompting protests by Japan, which also claims the territory — quickly dismissed by Moscow. Russian-Japanese relations have long been dogged by the contested islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and seized by the Soviet Union in 1945. The Kremlin posted a video of Putin on one of the four main islands. Russian media said he had visited a fish-processing plant and showed him trying local caviar. It was the first visit by a Russian president since Dmitry Medvedev in 2010. Japan summoned […]...Keep on reading: Japan protests Putin's first visit to disputed islands

Russian-Japanese relations have long been dogged by the contested islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and seized by the Soviet Union in 1945.

President Vladimir Putin visited Russia's far-eastern Kuril islands for the first time on Thursday, prompting protests by Japan which also claims the territory.

Putin visited Iturup, one of the southern Kuril Islands, on Thursday (August 13). Japan claims the island, which it calls Etorofu, as part of its Northern Territories. Tokyo described the visit as “absolutely unacceptable” and formally protested to Russia.

🇷🇺 🇯🇵 Russian President Putin has made his first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, travelling to Iturup, one of four islands claimed by both Russia and Japan. Tokyo strongly protested the visit, calling it “absolutely unacceptable.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to the disputed Kuril Islands drew a sharp rebuke Thursday from the Japanese government, which has long claimed four of the islands in the archipelago.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday made his first visit to the Kuril Islands, a Moscow-controlled Pacific archipelago that also is claimed by Japan, which voiced a diplomatic protest over the trip.

🇷🇺 🇯🇵 Russian President Putin has made his first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, travelling to Iturup, one of four islands claimed by both Russia and Japan. Tokyo strongly protested the visit, calling it “absolutely unacceptable.”

Putin visited Russia's far-eastern Kuril islands for first time, prompting protests by Japan, which also claims territory known as Northern Territories.

Japanese PM says islands seized by Soviets late in second world war are part of Japan under international lawThe Japanese government has reacted angrily to Vladimir Putin’s first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, which are claimed by both Tokyo and Moscow.Japan’s foreign minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, summoned the Russian ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev, while the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, called Putin’s actions “absolutely unacceptable”. Continue reading...

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a disputed island close to Japan on Thursday prompting a strong condemnation from Tokyo, which said his actions had made any improvement of relations between the countries difficult. The island, known in Russia as Iturup and in Japan as Etorofu, is one of four in the Kuril chain close to […]

Japanese PM says Putin's visit to the Pacific island chain, seized by the Soviet Union in 1945, is 'unacceptable'.

The four contested isles are part of the volcanic Kuril archipelago, running from Kamchatka to Hokkaido.

Japan has lodged a "strong protest" against Russian President Vladimir Putin's first-ever visit to the disputed Kuril Islands.

Russia has boosted its military presence on the disputed islands in recent years.

Putin visits Kuril Islands drawing sharp protest from Japan

TOKYO — Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, a Japan-claimed island at the end of the Kuril chain near the island of Hokkaido, Russian media said on Thursday, a day after major naval drills and a missile firing by ally North Korea. Moscow and Tokyo never signed a formal World War Two peace treaty as the main hurdle was the unresolved territorial dispute over the islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories. On the trip, which state news agency TASS described as Putin's first in person to the island chain, he visited the Yasny fish-processing plant on Iturup, after overseeing the navy drills in Russia's far east. Japan's foreign minister protested against Putin's visit on X. "The northern territories, including Etorofu, are Japan's inherent territory both historically and based on international law," said Toshimitsu Motegi. "Japan strongly protests this visit." Vesti TV channel images showed Putin in a dark suit, standing in a room looking at two large tuna and halibut on a table, as two officials spoke about fishing and the migratory behaviour of fish. He also stopped

Russian-Japanese relations have long been dogged by tensions over the contested Kuril islands, seized by the Soviet Union in 1945.

The four contested islands, seized by Russia during World War II, have gained importance since the end of the conflict, providing strategic military bases to the Kremlin, coupled with their rich mineral deposits and fishing grounds.

Japan protests President Putin’s first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, escalating tensions over the territory seized by the Soviet Union in 1945. Read More: https://punchng.com/japan-protests-putins-first-visit-to-disputed-islands/

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the far-eastern Kuril islands for the first time on Thursday, prompting a "strong" protest by Japan which also claims the territory. Russian-Japanese relations…

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the far-eastern Kuril islands for the first time on Thursday, prompting a 'strong' protest by Japan.

Japan says it "strongly protests" Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip to the disputed Kuril Islands. Tensions over the Russian-controlled archipelago, claimed partly by Japan, have long dogged bilateral ties.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the disputed Kuril Islands for the first time. This visit occurred amid deeply strained relations between Russia and Japan. Japan strongly protests the visit, reiterating its territorial claims over the islands. The long-standing dispute has intensified since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This territorial disagreement prevents a formal World War II peace treaty.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the far-eastern Kuril Islands for the first time on Thursday, prompting a “strong” protest by Japan which also claims the territory. Russian-Japanese relations have long been dogged by tensions over the contested islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and seized by the Soviet Union in 1945. The Kremlin posted a video of Putin in the Kuril Islands, with Russian media saying he visited a fish-processing plant where he was given caviar. Putin...

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the far-eastern Kuril islands near Japan's northernmost Hokkaido island for the first time on Thursday. Tokyo issued a strong protest in response to the Russian leader's visit to the disputed territory claimed by Japan that was seized by the Soviet Union in 1945.

The Russian leader visited the Kuril islands for the first time, according to state media.

Putin’s first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands highlights deepening Russia-Japan tensions as Tokyo continues backing Ukraine.