Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first official visit to the disputed Kuril Islands in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, setting off an immediate wave of diplomatic outrage from Tokyo and further straining already fragile ties between the two nations.
During his landmark trip to Iturup—the largest island in the volcanic chain known in Japan as Etorofu—Putin toured local civilian infrastructure, including a commercial fish processing facility, a regional hospital, and a secondary school in the town of Kurilsk. He also held talks with Sakhalin Region Governor Valery Limarenko and met briefly with local residents. The visit followed Putin's inspection of Russian Pacific Fleet naval exercises on nearby Sakhalin Island.
The four southernmost islands of the archipelago were seized by the Soviet Union in the closing days of World War II. Japan maintains an enduring territorial claim over the chain, referring to them as the Northern Territories. The unresolved sovereignty dispute has historically prevented Moscow and Tokyo from signing a formal peace treaty to officially end their World War II hostilities.
Japan reacted swiftly and forcefully to Putin's presence on Iturup. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned Russian Ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev to the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo, lodging a formal diplomatic protest. Motegi reiterated Japan’s stance that the islands are an inherent part of Japanese territory both historically and under international law.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi condemned the trip as "incompatible with the Japanese position" and "absolutely unacceptable," warning that such high-level visits inflict severe damage on bilateral relations. "We must say this visit has further hardened Japanese public sentiment toward Russia and has made it more difficult to restore bilateral relations in the medium to long term," Takaichi stated, noting that the move compounds strain caused by Japanese sanctions imposed following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow promptly rejected Tokyo's grievances. The Russian Embassy in Japan called the protest unfounded, asserting that sovereignty over the southern Kurils was legally established following World War II and that presidential travels within Russian territory are sovereign decisions not subject to foreign debate. Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, dismissed Tokyo's reaction on social media, declaring that the islands "were, are, and will remain Russian land."
Despite the fierce diplomatic exchanges, Putin noted during his trip that Russia had previously sought constructive dialogue with former Japanese leaders, including the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but blamed Japan's recent alignment with Western sanctions for undermining bilateral engagement.