Putin’s visit to disputed islands is “absolutely unacceptable,” according to the prime minister of Japan

Vladimir Putin’s first-ever visit to the disputed Kuril islands on Thursday was deemed “absolutely unacceptable” by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan. Putin reportedly travelled to Iturup, also known as Etorofu in Japan, one of the four Kuril chain islands that both Japan and Russia claim. Putin’s trip “has worsened Japanese sentiment towards Russia,” Takaichi told reporters, maintaining the island chain was “a unique territory of [Japan] historically and under international law”.

Moscow and Tokyo did not sign a peace treaty following World War Two primarily because of the decades-long conflict between the two nations over the Kurils. The Kuril islands are situated between the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia and Hokkaido in northern Japan. Japan claims four of the southernmost islands, which it refers to as the Northern Territories. Russia is in charge of them. About 17,000 Japanese citizens were evacuated when the Soviet Union annexd the chain of islands at the close of World War Two.

According to Russian official media, Putin chatted with island residents and tasted fish roe during his visit. Speaking from the prime minister’s office on Thursday, Takaichi said his trip “wounds the feelings of the Japanese people” and is “incompatible with Japan’s consistent position on the Northern Territories”. “I hope that the Russian side will take the gravity of this matter very seriously,” she said.

Toshimitsu Motegi, Japan’s foreign minister, declared earlier that day that the islands were “inherently Japanese territory both historically and under international law, and the Government of Japan strongly protests this visit.” There hasn’t been much progress in resolving the territorial dispute throughout the years. Due to Japan’s sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, bilateral relations have also remained tense.

Prior travels to the disputed islands by Russian authorities, such as Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and his predecessor Dmitry Medvedev, have drawn criticism from Japan. Russia has increased its military presence in the Kuril islands over the past ten years, viewing them as a vital location. Its main military air facility in the area is located on the island of Iturup. During a coordinated patrol last month, Chinese and Russian naval warships passed via a channel in the Kuril islands. Additionally, Russia often conducts military exercises close to the islands, which Japan denounces.