Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Iturup, one of the disputed Kuril Islands claimed by both Russia and Japan, marking the first time the Russian leader has visited the island chain in person, according to Russian state media reported by the BBC.
Putin Visits Disputed Kuril Islands for First Time, Prompting Sharp Protest From Japan
The visit on Thursday triggered an immediate and sharp response from Tokyo. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi issued a strong protest against the trip. Reuters noted that Motegi posted on X, stating, The northern territories, including Etorofu, are Japan's inherent territory both historically and based on international law.
Motegi added, Japan strongly protests this visit.
The chain of volcanic islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in Russia as the Kurils, stretches from Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula down to Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido. The dispute over the archipelago is the primary reason Moscow and Tokyo have never signed a formal peace treaty to conclude World War II. At the end of the war, the Soviet Union annexed the islands and subsequently deported approximately 17,000 Japanese residents. Today, about 20,000 Russian citizens live across the four contested isles—Kunashir, Habomai, Shikotan, and Iturup (known in Japanese as Kunashiri, Habomai, Shikotan, and Etorofu).
Itinerary and Local Engagements on Iturup
During his trip to Iturup, Putin toured local industry and interacted with residents. State news agency TASS described the journey as Putin’s first personal visit to the island chain as detailed by the Times of India.
Footage from Vesti TV showed Putin inspecting the Yasny fish-processing plant on Iturup. Officials showed him large tuna and halibut on a table, and he sampled local fish roe, according to France 24. Putin also conversed with a group of locals, telling them, What lovely weather you have there, just like a resort!
The journey to Iturup followed Putin’s trip to the nearby Russian island of Sakhalin, where he boarded the missile cruiser Varyag to observe naval drills conducted by Russia’s Pacific Fleet and held a security meeting concerning Russia’s eastern borders. The sequence of events also coincided with regional missile developments, following a ballistic missile firing by North Korea towards waters off the east of the Korean Peninsula.
Deepening Bilateral Tensions and Historical Context
Relations between Moscow and Tokyo have remained heavily strained, hitting new lows following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In response to the conflict, Japan joined Western nations in imposing sanctions on Moscow and provided strong support to Ukraine, further hardening diplomatic lines.
The territorial disagreement dates back decades, with previous visits to the islands by other high-ranking Russian officials—including former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin—also drawing formal protests from Tokyo. Over the past decade, Russia has reinforced its military presence in the strategic region, utilizing Iturup as its primary military air base there.
Efforts to resolve the territorial dispute have repeatedly stalled. Although Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev suggested in 1956 that two of the disputed islands might be returned under a peace treaty when diplomatic relations were established, no final agreement was reached. Talks resumed following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, but have since yielded no lasting progress.
