Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first-ever visit to the Kuril Islands on Thursday, a move that ignited a sharp diplomatic rebuke from Japan.

The trip, which saw the Russian leader tour the island of Iturup, deepened long-standing territorial tensions between Moscow and Tokyo over the archipelago.

During his visit to Iturup—known in Japan as Etorofu—Putin toured several local facilities, including a fish-processing plant, a hospital, and a secondary school.

Footage released by the Kremlin showed the President receiving a gift of caviar while meeting with the governor of the Sakhalin region, Valery Limarenko.

Putin traveled to the islands following a stop on the neighboring island of Sakhalin, where he oversaw Russian naval drills and convened a meeting regarding the security of Russia’s eastern borders.

The visit prompted an immediate and firm response from Tokyo, which claims the four southernmost islands of the chain as its "Northern Territories".

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi issued a formal statement condemning the action, asserting that the islands “are an inherent part of Japan's territory both historically and under international law, and the government of Japan strongly protests this visit”.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi further characterized the trip as “absolutely unacceptable,” noting that it “offends the sentiments of the Japanese people” and complicates the long-term potential for restoring bilateral relations.

The disputed archipelago, which runs in a volcanic arc from Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula to Japan’s Hokkaido island, was seized by the Soviet Union in the final days of World War II.

Following the 1945 occupation, approximately 17,000 Japanese residents were deported, and the Soviet Union established a permanent military presence.

While former President Dmitry Medvedev became the first Russian leader to visit the territory in 2010, Thursday’s trip marked the first time Putin has personally traveled to the islands during his tenure.

The territorial dispute has remained a significant barrier to diplomacy, preventing Moscow and Tokyo from signing a formal peace treaty to end World War II hostilities.

Although post-Soviet negotiations once showed promise—including a 1956 suggestion by Nikita Khrushchev to return two of the islands—relations have deteriorated significantly since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Today, the islands are home to roughly 20,000 Russian citizens who inhabit a challenging climate rich in gold, silver, and lucrative fishing grounds.

Despite the strategic importance the islands held during the Cold War as a base for air and sea operations, decades of diplomatic efforts to reach a settlement have yielded no concrete results.

Source: AFP