Japan has strongly objected to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Iturup, one of the four southern Kuril islands claimed by both Moscow and Tokyo.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the visit as “absolutely unacceptable”, saying the move had further damaged Japanese public sentiment towards Russia.
She reiterated Tokyo’s position that the islands, known collectively in Japan as the Northern Territories, belong to Japan based on history and international law.
Russian state media said Putin travelled to Iturup on Thursday, where he met residents and sampled local fish roe.
It was reportedly his first visit to the contested islands.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also lodged a strong objection, insisting that the territories are inherently Japanese and that the government would firmly protest Moscow’s action.
The territorial disagreement dates back to the final stages of World War Two, when Soviet forces took control of the island chain and expelled about 17,000 Japanese inhabitants.
The unresolved dispute has contributed to the absence of a formal peace agreement between Japan and Russia since the war.
Located between Japan’s northern Hokkaido island and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kurils have significant strategic value.
Russia has expanded its military infrastructure across the territory in recent years, with Iturup hosting a major air facility.
Relations between Tokyo and Moscow have deteriorated further since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prompting Japan to impose sanctions on Russia.
Japan has previously objected to visits by senior Russian officials to the islands, including former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and ex-Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
The disputed territory has also become a focus of Russian military activity.
Russian forces regularly conduct exercises in the area, while Russian and Chinese naval vessels passed through a Kuril strait during a joint patrol last month.
Tokyo has repeatedly criticised such military operations, while efforts to reach a lasting settlement over sovereignty of the islands have produced little progress.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong