Putin makes first visit to disputed Kuril Islands, Japan protests strongly

Vladimir Putin visited Russia's far-eastern Kuril Islands on Thursday for the first time, drawing a "strong" protest from Japan, which also claims the territory.

Russian-Japanese relations have long been strained by tensions over the contested islands—known in Japan as the Northern Territories—which were seized by the Soviet Union in 1945.

The Kremlin released a video of Putin on one of the Kurils' four main islands. Russian media reported that he visited a fish-processing plant and was given caviar.

Putin traveled to the Kurils after visiting the nearby Russian island of Sakhalin on Wednesday, where Russia's navy was conducting drills. According to RIA Novosti, Putin held a meeting in Sakhalin "on ensuring the security of Russia's eastern borders."

Japan's Response

Japan issued a stern condemnation of the visit.

"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," Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said in a statement.

Worsening Bilateral Ties

Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since the full-scale conflict in Ukraine began in 2022. Japan joined other G7 nations in sanctioning Russia and providing financial and non-lethal defense aid to Kyiv.

On Wednesday, Putin called Japan's sanctions "unprovoked," stating: "Japan has identified Russia as a main source of threats. I would like to point out that we are not threatening Japan… On the contrary, it has territorial claims against our country."

The New York Times reported in July that Russia had characterized Japan as a "den of spies" and a key source of dual-use technology needed for its war in Ukraine.

Historical Background

The Soviet Union took control of the strategically located volcanic archipelago north of Hokkaido in the final days of World War II and has maintained a military presence there ever since.

In 2010, then-president Dmitry Medvedev became the first Russian leader to visit the disputed territory. Medvedev also visited several times subsequently as prime minister.

Key Facts About the Islands

• The four contested islands are part of the volcanic Kuril archipelago, which runs in a broad arc from Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula down to Japan's main northern island, Hokkaido.
• The Soviet Union only declared war on Japan on 8 August 1945, after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and six days before the end of the conflict.
• The islands' names are similar in both countries: Kunashir, Habomai, Shikotan, and Iturup in Russian; Kunashiri, Habomai, Shikotan, and Etorofu in Japanese.
• The population of approximately 20,000 Russian citizens lives in a harsh climate, but the islands possess mineral deposits including gold and silver, as well as rich fishing grounds.
• After the islands were occupied in 1945, Moscow deported their Japanese population of about 17,000 people.
• The islands later acquired strategic importance, providing air and sea bases during the Cold War as the Soviet Union confronted the United States and its closest ally in the Pacific, Japan.