Russia summons Japan ambassador over disputed islands row

Russia has summoned Japan's ambassador, Akira Muto, after Tokyo condemned President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to the disputed Kuril Islands. The islands, also claimed by Japan and known as the Northern Territories, were seized by the Soviet Union in 1945.

The visit prompted Japan to summon Russia's ambassador in protest, and Moscow retaliated by summoning Muto. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Japanese officials "crossed the line of decency" in criticising Putin's trip.

Lavrov said Tokyo initially claimed Muto was unavailable to attend the summons, citing his absence from Moscow or illness. However, after Lavrov's comments, the ambassador reportedly "suddenly started feeling better" and attended on Tuesday, according to Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Punch, South China Morning Post, New Straits Times — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.