Vladimir Putin’s first visit to the disputed Kuril islands has reignited a decades-old territorial dispute with Japan, adding fresh tension to already strained relations between Moscow and Tokyo.
Japan has strongly protested against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the disputed island chain, saying the territory remains Japanese under both history and international law.
Russian state media reported that Putin visited Iturup, known as Etorofu in Japan, on Thursday. It is one of four southern Kuril islands claimed by both countries but administered by Russia.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tokyo had lodged a strong protest over the visit.
“The Government of Japan strongly protests this visit,” Motegi said, describing the islands as inherently Japanese territory.
The dispute is not new, but Putin’s personal appearance on the islands gives the issue fresh political weight.
The Kuril islands stretch between Japan’s northern Hokkaido island and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.
The Soviet Union seized the island chain at the end of World War Two and deported about 17,000 Japanese residents.
Japan refers to the four disputed southern islands as the Northern Territories. Russia administers them and considers them part of its territory.
The disagreement has lasted for decades and is one of the main reasons Russia and Japan have never formally signed a peace treaty to end their World War Two hostilities.
During his visit, Putin reportedly met local residents and sampled fish roe, according to Russian state media.
The trip is likely to anger Tokyo further at a time when relations between the two countries have already deteriorated significantly.
Japan joined Western countries in imposing sanctions on Russia following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Previous visits by senior Russian officials to the islands have also prompted Japanese protests. Among those who have visited are former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his successor, Mikhail Mishustin.
Beyond the symbolism, the islands also have considerable military importance for Moscow.
Russia has strengthened its military presence across the Kurils over the past decade.
Iturup is home to Russia’s main military air base in the region, giving Moscow an important strategic position between the northern Japanese islands and Russia’s Pacific territories.
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The wider area has also become increasingly active militarily.
Last month, Chinese and Russian naval vessels sailed through a strait in the Kuril islands during a joint patrol.
Russia also regularly conducts military exercises around the disputed territory, activities that Japan has repeatedly criticised.
For Tokyo, the concern is not simply about a territorial claim on a map. The islands sit in a strategically important part of the North Pacific, close to Japan’s northern approaches and important Russian military positions.
The dispute has survived changes in leadership, diplomatic negotiations and shifting relations between Moscow and Tokyo.
Attempts to reach a settlement have repeatedly failed, with both sides maintaining fundamentally different positions over sovereignty.
Putin’s visit therefore carries significance beyond a routine presidential trip.
For Russia, it reinforces its control over territory it considers firmly within its borders. For Japan, it represents another challenge to its long-standing claim over the Northern Territories.
After decades without a settlement, Putin’s visit is unlikely to resolve the dispute but it has reminded both countries that the territorial argument remains very much alive.
