Iturup: Putin visits island claimed by Japan shortly before war anniversary
Two days before the anniversary of Japan's 1945 surrender, the Russian president has visited the Pacific island of Iturup. Japan's prime minister criticised the visit as "absolutely unacceptable". The island has been administered by Russia since 1945.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, also known as Etorofu in Japan, one of the four Kuril Islands disputed between Russia and Japan. The trip reignited the long-standing territorial dispute, drawing strong objections from Tokyo and a refusal from Moscow to back down. The Kuril Islands dispute originated from the end of World War Two, when Russia took control of the islands following Japan's surrender in 1945.
Tokyo has consistently claimed the islands, insisting that the Russian president's presence there is highly provocative. Japan's Foreign Minister summoned the Russian ambassador to lodge a formal protest. Moscow, however, maintained its stance that Iturup is an integral part of Russian territory. Putin's visit took place just before Japan marked 81 years since its surrender in World War Two and amid heightened tensions between the two nations following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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- Putin’s Kuril visit revives WW2 dispute with Japan economictimes.indiatimes.com
