Russia's Putin visits Japan-claimed islands for first time; Tokyo protests

TOKYO — On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a historic visit to Iturup, a Japanese-claimed island located at the end of the Kuril chain near Hokkaido, according to Russian media. This visit came just a day after large-scale naval exercises and a missile launch by Russia's ally, North Korea. For decades, Russia and Japan have been unable to reach a formal peace agreement following World War Two, as the main obstacle has been the ongoing territorial dispute over the islands, which Japan refers to as the Northern Territories.

During the trip, which state news agency TASS referred to as Putin's inaugural visit to the island chain, he toured the Yasny fish-processing plant on Iturup after overseeing naval drills in Russia's far eastern region. In response to Putin's visit, Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi expressed protest on the social media platform X, stating that the Northern Territories are Japan's rightful and historic possession, both from a historical perspective and based on international law.

Motegi emphasized that Japan strongly condemns this visit. Images captured by the Vesti TV channel depicted Putin in a dark suit, standing in a room surrounded by photos of two sizable tuna and halibut, while engaging in discussions with officials about fishing and the migratory patterns of fish.