Putin’s Kuril Islands visit draws protest from Japan’s Takaichi
Japan condemned Putin’s first trip to Iturup, an island Russia administers but Japan claims, renewing a dispute that blocks a postwar peace treaty.
By Theo Nakamura · Staff Writer
· 3 min read
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, one of the disputed Kuril Islands, on Aug. 13, prompting Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to call the trip “absolutely unacceptable.” The Putin Kuril Islands visit puts a long-running territorial dispute back at the center of already strained ties between Tokyo and Moscow.
Iturup, called Etorofu in Japan, is one of four southern islands claimed by Japan as its Northern Territories. Russia administers the islands. Takaichi said the presidential visit conflicted with Japan’s established position and offended Japanese public sentiment, according to the BBC and Al Jazeera.
Japan had repeatedly asked Russia to prevent Putin from visiting the Northern Territories, Takaichi said in a post on X reported by CNBC. She described the territory as Japanese, a position Tokyo bases on its interpretation of history and international law.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also protested. Al Jazeera reported that Japan’s Foreign Ministry said Motegi summoned the Russian ambassador and lodged a strong protest over the trip.
Why is Putin’s visit to the Kuril Islands disputed?
The Kuril chain runs between Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula and Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. The disagreement centers on four islands at its southern end: Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai. Japan claims the four, while Russia controls them in practice.
The Soviet Union took the islands near the end of World War II. The unresolved sovereignty question has prevented Japan and Russia from signing a formal peace treaty ending the war, although their 1956 joint declaration ended the state of war, CNBC reported.
Japan’s 2026 defense white paper described Russian military activity in the Northern Territories as taking place under illegal occupation. That language is Japan’s official position, rather than a settled international finding.
What did Putin do on Iturup?
Putin met Valery Limarenko, the governor of Sakhalin, and toured a fish-processing facility, a hospital and a school, according to Russian state media cited by CNBC and Al Jazeera. The BBC reported that Iturup serves as Russia’s main military air base in the region.
The trip was Putin’s first visit to the island chain, according to the reports. An assessment by the Institute for the Study of War, cited by CNBC, said the Kremlin likely timed it partly in response to Japan’s latest defense white paper and Takaichi’s defense plans. That assessment is analysis, not a stated Russian motive.
Putin, meanwhile, said Japan had characterized Russia as a major threat and said Moscow was not threatening Japan, according to Al Jazeera. The opposing statements underline that the visit did not change control of the islands, but did sharpen the diplomatic dispute surrounding them.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.
