Japan set to impose new sanctions on Russia over Putin’s visit to disputed Kuril Islands

Japan may tighten existing sanctions on Russia following President Vladimir Putin's visit to the disputed Kuril Islands on August 13, according to NHK World Japan. The Japanese government plans to consider countermeasures in response to Putin's visit, which has been deemed incompatible with Japan's consistent position on the disputed territories.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated that the Kuril Islands are an inherent part of Japan, supported by historical facts and international law. Kishida emphasized that Putin's visit damages public sentiment in Japan and makes restoring relations with Russia more challenging in the medium to long term. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned the Russian Ambassador to Japan, Nikolay Nozdrev, to lodge a strong protest against Putin's unilaterally carried out visit.

The visit's unilateral nature has negatively impacted bilateral ties, with Russia withdrawing from economic negotiations and freezing joint Kuril Island development projects since March 2022. Japan considers the Kuril Islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan, to be its original territory and a subject of a long-standing territorial dispute with Russia, which occupied them after World War II.