Putin visits disputed Kuril Islands for first time
Japan summons Russian ambassador as peace treaty gap from World War II remains, navy drills and caviar stop share the same itinerary
Images
Vladimir Putin at a fish processing plant on the disputed Kuril Islands. Photograph: Gavriil Grigorov/Reuters
theguardian.com
Putin visits a hospital. Photograph: Gavriil Grigorov/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/EPA
theguardian.com
Vladimir Putin visited the disputed Kuril Islands for the first time this week, prompting Japan to lodge a protest and summon Russia’s ambassador, according to The Guardian. Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi called the trip “absolutely unacceptable,” while foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the islands are historically and under international law part of Japan. The Kremlin released footage of Putin meeting residents and visiting a processing plant on one of the islands.
The visit lands on a fault line that has never been papered over. The island chain—known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in Russia as the Southern Kurils—was seized by the Soviet Union in the closing stages of World War II, and the dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a formal peace treaty. The Guardian reported that roughly 17,000 Japanese once lived on the islands before deportations, while around 20,000 Russian citizens live there now.
Putin used the trip to restate Moscow’s position. The Guardian said he argued the four islands are recognised as Russian in international documents, and he framed Japan’s sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “unprovoked.” He also rejected the idea that Russia threatens Japan, while noting that Japan maintains territorial claims against Russia.
The itinerary itself underlined the message. The Guardian reported that on the same day Putin travelled to the nearby Russian island of Sakhalin, where he inspected navy drills. Control of the Kurils is not only a matter of historic grievance: the islands sit near Hokkaido, guard approaches to the Pacific, and provide access to fishing grounds and mineral deposits.
Tokyo’s response shows how little slack remains in the relationship after 2022. Under former prime minister Shinzo Abe, Japan and Russia had explored confidence-building steps, including resuming visits by Japanese citizens to family graves on the islands, the Guardian reported. That channel narrowed as Japan aligned with Western sanctions, and Moscow has treated the dispute as another arena to impose costs without firing a shot.
Japanese television showed Putin tasting caviar at the processing plant. Japan’s foreign ministry was summoning an ambassador at the same time.