Japan protests Putin's visit to disputed Kuril island Iturup

AI digestMimile.ai EditorialAugust 13, 2026 at 05:00 AM

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Japan protests Putin's visit to disputed Kuril island Iturup

Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Thursday that Tokyo strongly protests Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Iturup, one of the disputed Southern Kuril islands. The Kremlin released video earlier Thursday showing Putin touring a fish-processing plant, a hospital and a school on Iturup and meeting Sakhalin Governor Valery Limarenko.

Tokyo's Protest

Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on 13 August that the Northern Territories, including Iturup, are historically and under international law an integral part of Japanese territory and that Tokyo strongly protests the visit. The statement came after the Kremlin released footage showing Putin on Iturup. Japan calls the islands illegally occupied and refers to them as the Northern Territories.

Putin's Iturup Visit

The Kremlin video showed Putin touring the Yasny fish-processing plant, the Kuril central district hospital and a school, and meeting Sakhalin Governor Valery Limarenko. The trip was Putin's first visit to the disputed Kuril islands. Dmitry Medvedev visited the islands in 2010 as president and several times later as prime minister.

Island Dispute Background

The Soviet Union annexed Kunashir, Shikotan, Iturup, Habomai and small uninhabited islands after World War II. In 1956, Moscow signed a declaration with Japan pledging to return Shikotan and Habomai after a peace treaty. Japan later demanded all four islands, and no peace treaty was signed. After Japan joined Western sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Moscow suspended peace-treaty talks, cancelled visa-free Japanese trips and listed Japan as an unfriendly state.

What's Next

Russia has not indicated whether the Iturup visit will affect peace-treaty talks suspended after Japan joined Western sanctions. It remains unclear whether Tokyo will escalate its response beyond the Foreign Ministry protest.

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Japan protests Putin's visit to disputed Kuril island Iturup

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Japan protests Putin's visit to disputed Kuril island Iturup

Tokyo's Protest

Putin's Iturup Visit

Island Dispute Background

What's Next

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