Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup Island on August 13, marking his first trip to the disputed Kuril Islands during his presidency.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi criticized the visit, calling it incompatible with Japan's position, unacceptable, and harmful to future bilateral relations.
Officially, Putin traveled to the Far East to observe Pacific Fleet military exercises. While on Iturup, he met Sakhalin Region Governor Valery Limarenko and inspected local facilities, including the Yasny fish processing complex, a regional hospital, and the Hero of Russia Eduard Norpolov secondary school in Kurilsk.
Prior to his arrival on the island, Putin criticized Japan's stance toward Russia. He stated that Moscow had maintained constructive contacts with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but noted that the stance of the Japanese government subsequently changed. Putin pointed out that Japan had listed Russia as a primary threat source in its national doctrine documents for the first time, despite Russia holding no claims or threats against Japan, while adding that Russia remains open to diplomatic solutions.
Japanese Leaders and Politicians React
Following the trip, Takaichi stated that the Russian leader's presence on Iturup was incompatible with Japan's position regarding the northern territories, that it hurt the feelings of the Japanese people, and that it would complicate efforts to rebuild relations between the two countries.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi echoed her statements, asserting that the northern territories, including Etorofu, which is the Japanese name for Iturup, belong to Japan historically and under international law, adding that Tokyo strongly protested the visit.
Japanese media outlets, including The Japan Times, outlined potential retaliatory steps by Tokyo. These include tightening economic sanctions against Russia and temporarily recalling Japanese Ambassador Toyohisa Kozuki.
However, some Japanese politicians expressed disagreement with the government's strong reaction. Muneo Suzuki, a member of the House of Councillors from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, stated that Putin was performing standard presidential duties and called reacting to every such action childish and immature.
Similarly, the Japanese nationalist party Issui-Kai posted on its official account on social media platform X that the government should use this opportunity to rebuild contacts with Russia, strengthen bilateral ties, protect national interests, and pursue a peaceful settlement and a peace treaty.
Russian Diplomacy and International Responses
Russian officials dismissed Tokyo's protests. Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko stated that diplomatic protests would not alter Russia's stance on the Kuril Islands, adding that diplomatic activity would achieve nothing and that Russian land would remain Russian under international law.
Russian Ambassador to Japan Nikolai Nozdrev stated that presidential travel within Russian territory represents a sovereign decision and cannot be a topic of discussion with foreign governments.
International responses to the visit highlighted geopolitical divisions. US Ambassador to Japan George Glass stated that the administration of President Donald Trump recognizes Japanese sovereignty over what Tokyo calls the Northern Territories. Glass described the US-Japan alliance as crucial for the Indo-Pacific region and stated that Washington firmly opposes actions that undermine regional peace and stability.
Conversely, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun called on Japan to respect the post-World War II international order established by legal instruments such as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Agreement.
Strategic Meaning of the Presidential Visit
Putin's visit represents the first time he has set foot on the Kuril Islands during his presidency. Previous high-level visits include a 2010 trip by then-President Dmitry Medvedev, which prompted Tokyo to temporarily recall its ambassador. Medvedev subsequently visited the islands three more times as prime minister in 2012, 2015, and 2019, while Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Iturup in 2021.
Japanese media interpreted the timing as an effort to exert political pressure on Tokyo and signal dissatisfaction with Japan's support for Ukraine and its expanding cooperation with NATO.
Viktor Kuzminkov, a senior research fellow at the Center for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAN), stated that the political cost of the trip for Russia was minimal while its symbolic value was high. Kuzminkov explained that Putin's personal visit was a demonstration of sovereignty intended to signal that the question of island ownership is closed.
Kuzminkov noted that Russia currently has little reason to avoid actions that could strain relations further, as ties are already virtually frozen, with peace negotiations halted, Japanese sanctions in place, and Kuril exchanges suspended. He added that inspecting civilian sites demonstrated Russian economic development and control, while combining the visit with military drills sent a strategic military-political signal to both Japan and the United States.
The visit occurred shortly before August 15, which marks the end of World War II for Japan and the liberation of Korea from Japanese colonial rule. Although the Kremlin did not link the trip to this anniversary, Kuzminkov noted that the timing added symbolic resonance.
History of the Kuril Islands Dispute
The territorial dispute between Russia and Japan over Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and the Habomai island group dates back to the end of World War II. The Soviet Union took control of the Kuril Islands in 1945. Russia bases its claim on post-war outcomes and the 1945 Yalta agreements between Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill, which stipulated that the Kuril Islands and southern Sakhalin would be transferred to the Soviet Union upon its entry into the war against Japan.
Soviet forces occupied South Sakhalin and the Kurils in August and September 1945. Under the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty, Japan renounced its rights to the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin, though the document did not specify which country received sovereignty over them, and the Soviet Union did not sign the treaty.
In 1956, the Soviet Union and Japan signed a Joint Declaration that officially ended the state of war and restored diplomatic relations. Under the declaration, the Soviet Union agreed to transfer Shikotan and the Habomai islands to Japan once a formal peace treaty was signed. However, no peace treaty was ever concluded, a failure widely attributed to US pressure warning Japan against territorial compromises with Moscow.
Japan maintains that Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and Habomai were not part of the Kuril Islands renounced in 1951, referring to them instead as its Northern Territories. Kuzminkov noted that Japanese terminology evolved over time, with the phrase inherent territories originally applied only to Iturup and Kunashir in parliament in October 1947, before Prime Minister Ichiro Hatoyama expanded the term to include all four islands in 1956.
Bilateral Relations and Energy Ties
Despite the territorial dispute, the absence of a peace treaty, and worsening political relations after 2022, Russia and Japan maintain limited practical contacts. Russia includes Japan on its list of unfriendly states after Tokyo joined economic sanctions, yet formal diplomatic relations persist, Japan continues issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens, and energy trade remains active.
Japan relies on Russia for approximately nine percent of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports. This economic dependency forces Japanese officials to carefully calculate the consequences of any new measures. The Japanese Foreign Ministry noted that it takes the situation seriously and needs to evaluate its options carefully.
In recent months, bilateral contacts have shown brief signs of activity. In late May, Akie Abe, widow of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, met Putin in the Kremlin, while a Japanese delegation of foreign and economy ministry officials visited Russia. In July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Motegi held a brief meeting on the sidelines of ASEAN events in the Philippines, though Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that no comprehensive discussion of bilateral relations or international issues took place.
Looking ahead, Kuzminkov assessed that the sharpest phase of diplomatic deterioration has passed, predicting a prolonged managed freeze rather than a complete severance of ties. He highlighted that Japan is restrained from further escalation by its energy interests, including its LNG imports and the participation of Japanese firms Mitsui and Mitsubishi in the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project. Other stabilizing factors include Japan's desire to resume grave visits to the islands by former residents' families, ongoing fishing cooperation, consular contacts, and geographical proximity. Kuzminkov stated that the relationship is likely to settle into a new cold norm marked by limited practical cooperation without political trust or dialogue on the Kurils.
