Putin visits Iturup in the Kurils, prompting protest from Japan

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, one of the islands in the disputed Kuril chain, in a trip that Moscow marked as a first personal visit to the island group. The visit took place amid heightened regional tensions after recent large naval exercises and a ballistic missile launch from North Korea.

Tokyo lodges a protest

During his stay on Iturup, Putin inspected the Yasni fish-processing plant and observed manoeuvres carried out by Russia’s Pacific Fleet in the Far East. The trip came a day after a North Korean ballistic missile was fired into waters off the eastern Korean Peninsula.

Japan's foreign minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, publicly criticised the visit and said on platform X that "The Northern Territories, including Etorofu, are an integral part of Japan both historically and under international law." He added: "Japan strongly protests this visit."

Putin, who the previous day followed the final phase of the Pacific Fleet exercises from aboard the missile cruiser Varyag, defended the drills as necessary to preserve combat readiness, protect Russian interests and regional security in the Asia-Pacific, and to bolster Russia's military presence in light of lessons from the war in Ukraine.

Speaking on the cruiser, Putin sought to allay fears about Moscow's intentions toward Tokyo. "I would like to emphasize that we do not threaten Japan. We have absolutely no complaints. For the first time in its latest military doctrinal documents, Japan mentioned Russia as a source of primary threats," he said.

The visit underlines the unresolved post-World War II dispute between Moscow and Tokyo — a disagreement over the status of the islands that has prevented the two countries from signing a formal peace treaty. Tokyo refers to the archipelago as the "Northern Territories."

Photo: EPA/GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL / POOL PICTURE MAD