U.S. backs Tokyo after Putin visits Russian-occupied Japanese island
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass said Washington recognizes Japanese sovereignty over the islands visited by Russian leader Vladimir Putin, reaffirming U.S. support for Tokyo amid a renewed territorial dispute with Moscow. Glass remains the serving U.S. ambassador to Japan.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass has reaffirmed Washington's support for Tokyo's claim of sovereignty over the Northern Territories, a group of four Russian-held islands in the Kuril chain. The U.S. stance comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Iturup, known as Etorofu in Japan, on August 13, which prompted a formal protest from Tokyo.
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called Putin's visit "absolutely unacceptable," while Tokyo summoned the Russian ambassador in protest. The islands, which were illegally seized by the Soviet Union after World War II, have been a source of tension between Japan and Russia, preventing the signing of a formal peace treaty. Russia maintains its control of the islands is lawful, while Japan continues to argue that the territories are historically and under international law theirs. The dispute has yet to be resolved, and the visit by Putin marked the first of his tenure.
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