Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to the disputed Kuril Islands for the first time, visiting Iturup to inspect local facilities. The move drew a swift and sharp diplomatic protest from Tokyo, which asserts sovereignty over the territory as bilateral relations remain severely strained by the war in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin landed on the island of Iturup, known as Etorofu in Japan, marking the first time he has personally traveled to the disputed Pacific island chain. The visit on Thursday followed an inspection of the Pacific Fleet’s flagship missile cruiser Varyag during military drills in the country’s Far East, according to state media. Coming right after North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward waters off the Korean Peninsula, the trip underscored mounting geopolitical tensions across the Asia-Pacific region.
Inspecting Local Industry and Infrastructure on Iturup
During his time on the island, Putin toured a fish-processing plant, a hospital, and a school, while also meeting with the governor of Russia’s Sakhalin region, Valery Limarenko. Television footage captured the Russian leader examining large tuna and halibut and sampling fish roe at the Yasny fish-processing plant. Interacting briefly with residents, Putin remarked on the weather by telling a group of locals, What lovely weather you have there, just like a resort!
The islands have rarely seen visits from top Russian leadership. Dmitry Medvedev traveled there in 2010 and again in 2015 as prime minister, while Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Iturup in 2021, an event that also triggered diplomatic complaints from Tokyo. Moscow maintains a population of roughly 20,000 citizens across the archipelago.
Tokyo Lodges a Strong Protest and Summons Ambassador
The visit provoked an immediate political backlash in Japan. The Foreign Ministry in Tokyo summoned the Russian ambassador to lodge a formal strong protest.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi issued a statement reiterating Japan’s long-standing position on the southern Kurils, which Tokyo refers to as the Northern Territories.
Sanae Takaichi reinforced the government’s stance, telling reporters that the presidential trip offends the sentiments of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable.
Historical Roots of the World War II Territorial Dispute
The sovereignty struggle over the Kuril Islands dates back to the final days of World War II. Soviet forces seized the four southernmost islands—Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and the Habomai islets—after the Soviet Union declared war on Japan in August 1945. The takeover included the deportation of approximately 17,000 Japanese residents. Because the Soviet Union and its Russian successor state retained control of the chain, Moscow and Tokyo never signed a formal peace treaty to officially end their World War II hostilities.
Over the decades, diplomatic efforts to settle the dispute have repeatedly stalled. In 1956, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev proposed returning two of the islands as part of a peace settlement, but no final pact materialized. While negotiations resumed after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, the ownership question remained unresolved as Russia steadily reinforced its military presence on the strategically vital islands, which sit between the Russian Far East and northern Japan amid rich fishing grounds and mineral deposits.
How the War in Ukraine Froze Bilateral Diplomacy
Relations between Moscow and Tokyo deteriorated further following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Japan joined Western allies in imposing sweeping sanctions on Moscow and provided strong support to Ukraine. In retaliation, Russia suspended peace treaty negotiations, halted joint economic projects tied to the disputed islands, and accused Tokyo of adopting a hostile posture.
Speaking aboard a warship during the Pacific Fleet drills, Putin defended Moscow’s control over the archipelago, stating that its status is enshrined in international documents as a reality that arose following the outcome of the World War II.
Putin also noted that while Russia previously maintained constructive relations with Japanese leaders—such as the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe—Tokyo’s alignment with anti-Russian sanctions had upended bilateral diplomacy.
