{
  "id": 1022011,
  "title": "U.S. backs Tokyo after Putin visits Russian-occupied Japanese island",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/u-s-backs-tokyo-after-putin-visits-russian-occupied-japanese-island",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-15T11:20:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Voice of Ukraine",
    "slug": "new-voice-of-ukraine",
    "url": "https://english.nv.ua/nation/u-s-backs-japan-s-sovereignty-claim-after-putin-visits-disputed-kuril-island-50632829.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "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.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Japan protests as Russia’s Putin visits disputed Kuril Islands",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/japan-protests-as-russias-putin-visits-disputed-kuril-islands",
        "published": "2026-08-13T09:43:38.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}