Japan Expresses Displeasure Over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Visit to Iturup
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup for the first time on Thursday, August 13th. It is one of the Kuril Islands, located at the southern end of the Kuril chain, which is near Japan. Putin’s visit has caused displeasure in Japan, prompting a strong protest against Russia. It is reported that these islands once belonged to Japan. The Kremlin, the Russian presidential palace, released a video of President Putin’s visit to the Kuril Islands. Before visiting the Kuril Islands, Putin visited the nearby Russian island of Sakhalin, where the Russian Navy was conducting military exercises. In Sakhalin, Putin held a meeting on “ensuring the security of Russia’s eastern borders.” After observing the naval exercises, Putin visited the Yasny fish-processing plant. State news agency TASS described this as Putin’s first in-person visit to the Kuril Island chain. This visit comes amid a long-standing territorial dispute that has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a formal World War II peace treaty. Japan calls the disputed islands the Northern Territories. Japan has expressed strong displeasure over Putin’s visit. Relations between Russia and Japan have deteriorated further following Russia’s major invasion of Ukraine in 2012. Meanwhile, Russia’s relations with China and North Korea have strengthened. According to an AFP report, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi strongly opposed the visit, stating that the Northern Territories are Japan’s “rightful territory” under its historical and international-law claims.