Putin pays his first visit to Pacific island chain claimed by Japan, drawing a protest from Tokyo
AP — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday for the first time visited the Kuril Islands, a Russian-controlled Pacific island chain also claimed by Japan, in a move that drew a protest from Tokyo. Putin visited a fish plant, a hospital and a school on Iturup, one of the chain’s southernmost islands. He also briefly spoke … The post Putin pays his first visit to Pacific island chain claimed…
Russian President Vladimir Putin made his inaugural trip to the Kuril Islands on Thursday, a chain of Pacific islands that Russia controls but Japan also lays claim to. The visit occurred on one of the southernmost islands in the chain, Iturup, where Putin toured a fish plant, a hospital, and a school. He also engaged in brief conversations with local residents and spoke with Valery Limarenko, the governor of Russia’s Sakhalin region.
Japan, however, is not pleased with Putin's move. The nation's Foreign Minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, strongly protested the visit, stating that the Northern Territories, which Japan refers to as the Etorofu (Iturup) Island, are historically and legally part of Japan. Despite decades of attempts at diplomatic negotiations to resolve the territorial dispute, no significant progress has been made.
Moscow has also increased its military presence on the Kuril Islands over the years, indicating its determination to assert its claim in the ongoing dispute.
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