Putin visits disputed Kuril Islands for first time, drawing Japanese protest

Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the Kuril Islands on Thursday, an archipelago in the Pacific that is claimed by both Russia and Japan, prompting a sharp diplomatic rebuke from Tokyo.

Putin visited Iturup, the largest and southernmost of the Kuril Islands, located approximately 80 miles northeast of the Japanese mainland. During the visit, he met with Sakhalin region Governor Valery Limarenko and toured several facilities on the island, including a fish-processing plant, a secondary school, and a hospital, according to Russian state media. Video released by the Kremlin showed Putin speaking with residents and sampling caviar at the processing plant, remarking on the climate of the islands.

Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi issued a formal condemnation of the visit. "The Northern Four Islands, including Etorofu Island, are an inherent part of Japan's territory — both historically and under international law — and Japan strongly protests this visit," Motegi said in a statement posted on social media. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called Putin's actions "absolutely unacceptable" and said the visit "wounds the feelings of the Japanese people." Motegi summoned Russian Ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev to lodge a formal protest.

The Kuril Islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in Russia as the Southern Kurils, were seized by the Soviet Union in the closing stages of World War II in August 1945. The islands have remained a source of territorial dispute between the two nations since the war's end. Russia maintains a military presence on the islands.