Japan said it is “strongly protesting” Vladimir Putin’s visit to the Kuril Islands on Thursday, marking the first time the Russian president has visited the disputed island chain.
Russian state media reported that Putin visited Iturup known as Etorofu in Japan one of four islands in the Kuril chain claimed by both Russia and Japan, according to the BBC.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the islands are “inherently Japanese territory, both historically and under international law,” adding that the Japanese government strongly protests Putin’s visit.
The two countries have been locked in a dispute over the Kuril Islands for decades. The territorial dispute is a major reason Moscow and Tokyo never signed a formal peace treaty following World War II.
The Kuril Islands lie between northern Japan’s Hokkaido and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. Japan claims the four southernmost islands, which it refers to as the Northern Territories.
The islands are currently administered by Russia. At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union annexed the island chain and deported around 17,000 Japanese residents.
During his visit, Putin reportedly sampled fish roe and spoke with local residents, according to Russian state media.
Over the years, efforts to resolve the territorial dispute have made little progress. Bilateral relations have also remained strained, particularly after Japan imposed sanctions on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
