Japan envoy answers Russian summons amid Putin isle visit spat

Near the Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, Japan's ambassador Akira Muto arrived after being summoned due to tensions surrounding disputed isles off Hokkaido. The issue intensified following Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to one of the islands, known as the Northern Territories by Japan and the Southern Kurils by Russia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that his ministry had summoned Muto following Japan's protest over Putin's trip. Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin warned that Russia reserves the right to take appropriate countermeasures against Japan, citing Tokyo's sanctions against Moscow and support for Kyiv. Muto explained Japan's stance, but did not respond to reporters' questions.

Russian officials accused Japan of not accepting the islands' transfer to Russia following World War II and of questioning an obvious reality. Japan maintains that the Soviet Union illegally seized the islands in 1945. The long-standing territorial dispute has prevented the two nations from signing a postwar peace treaty. The dispute flared up after Putin visited Etorofu, touring a fish-processing plant and meeting local residents.

The Japanese government strongly protested Putin's trip, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi calling it incompatible with Japan's position on the islands. Later, Motegi summoned Russian Ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev to protest. Lavrov criticized Japan for crossing a line of decency with its statements that the Russian president cannot visit any part of the Russian Federation.

Ties between Japan and Russia have remained tense since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, leading to sanctions from Japan and its Group of Seven peers.