Putin Makes First Visit to Disputed Kuril Islands Amid Tensions with Japan

"Security Must Be Ensured Everywhere," Putin Stresses
Japan Protests: "The Four Northern Islands Are Inherent Japanese Territory"

AP Yonhap News

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made his first-ever visit to the Kuril Islands, a region disputed with Japan over territorial claims. Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, this move is seen as a demonstration of security in the Russian Far East and as an attempt to pressure Japan, which is actively participating in sanctions against Russia. The Japanese government strongly protested, maintaining that the Kuril Islands are an inherent part of its territory.

According to Russia’s TASS news agency on August 13 (local time), President Putin observed a Pacific Fleet training exercise and then, as part of his visit to the Far East, traveled to the Kuril Islands for the first time. He specifically visited Iturup Island (known in Japan as Etorofu), where he toured a seafood processing plant and a local hospital and met with area residents.

On this day, President Putin also held a security meeting with the Russian Pacific Fleet and regional border officials. During the meeting, he remarked, “Even though special military operations are underway in the western region, security in the eastern region is also important. We must ensure the security of the Russian state at every border and in every region.”

This marks the first time President Putin has personally inspected the Far East and visited the Kuril Islands. Previously, in 2010, then-President Dmitry Medvedev (currently Deputy Chair of the Russian Security Council) visited the Kuril Islands. Medvedev made further visits to the islands as Russian Prime Minister in 2012, 2015, and 2019.

Putin’s latest visit is interpreted as an effort to place pressure on Japan, which has been actively joining Western sanctions against Russia. The day before, while visiting Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, a region in the Far East close to Japan, President Putin publicly expressed his dissatisfaction, saying, “Japan imposed unilateral sanctions on Russia without correctly understanding the root cause of the Ukraine crisis.”

The Japanese government has reacted strongly to President Putin’s visit to the Kuril Islands. In an official statement, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi asserted, “The four northern islands, including Etorofu, are historically and under international law inherent Japanese territory,” adding, “As the Japanese government, we strongly protest against this visit.”

Iturup Island is the largest island in the Kuril Islands, located off eastern Hokkaido. Russia maintains effective control over four southern islands of the Kuril chain (Iturup, Kunashir, Habomai islets, and Shikotan). Japan refers to these four as its “Northern Territories” and claims sovereignty over them, while Russia insists its sovereignty over these islands is legally established under international law and is not open to dispute.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.