Putin Visits Disputed Kuril Islands, Prompting Strong Protest from Japan

World 11:53 AM - 2026-08-13

Putin Samples Caviar at Yasny Fish Processing Complex on Iturup Island.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup Island on Thursday, according to the Russian state news agency TASS, marking his first reported visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, a territory claimed by both Russia and Japan.

The visit came after Putin oversaw naval exercises in Russia's Far East. During his trip to Iturup, he toured the Yasny fish processing plant, where he was shown local seafood products and received briefings on fishing and fish migration in the region. Television footage broadcast by Russia's Vesti channel showed Putin examining large tuna and halibut before sampling locally produced fish roe.

Japan Condemns Visit

Japan strongly criticised the visit, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi describing it as "absolutely unacceptable".

Speaking to reporters, Takaichi said Putin's visit contradicted Japan's long-standing position regarding the disputed islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories.

She said the visit was "an affront to the feelings of the Japanese people" and reiterated Tokyo's claim to the islands.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also issued a strong protest, stating that the Northern Territories are "an integral part of Japanese territory, both historically and under international law".

He said the Japanese government had formally protested against the Russian president's visit.

Long-Running Territorial Dispute

The Kuril Islands have remained at the centre of a territorial dispute between Moscow and Tokyo since the end of the Second World War.

The Soviet Union seized the island chain in the closing days of the war in 1945 and has administered the territory ever since. Japan continues to claim the four southernmost islands—Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai islets—which it refers to collectively as the Northern Territories.

The dispute has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a formal peace treaty to officially conclude the Second World War.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Japan adopted a firmer stance on the issue, once again describing the islands as being under "illegal occupation" by Russia.

In 2010, then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev became the first Russian leader to visit the disputed islands, drawing strong protests from Tokyo. He returned to the islands in 2019 while serving as prime minister.

The islands are home to around 20,000 people and are strategically important due to their location between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean. They are also rich in natural resources, including valuable fisheries and mineral deposits such as gold and silver.


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