Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Etorofu island on Thursday, making his first trip as president to one of four disputed islands claimed by Japan, prompting a strong protest from Tokyo.
The visit to the largest of the Northern Territories, as Japan calls them, or the Kuril Islands, as Russia designates them, marks a significant escalation in the long-running territorial dispute between the two nations, which have never signed a peace treaty ending World War II.
Putin toured a fish-processing factory, a hospital, and a school on the island, met with the governor of the Sakhalin region, and spoke with residents. The visit came during the week leading up to the 81st anniversary of Japan’s surrender in WWII, a period when Japan traditionally reflects on the Soviet Union’s invasion of the northern islands in the war’s final days.
Japan Condemns Visit as ‘Absolutely Unacceptable’
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi condemned the visit as “absolutely unacceptable,” while the Foreign Ministry issued a formal protest stating that all four Northern Territories are “ancestral Japanese territory.” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Japan “strongly protests this visit.”
Moscow dismissed the protest. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin “visits those Russian provinces that he sees fit,” adding that Russia would continue working with Tokyo toward a peace treaty. The Russian Foreign Ministry reiterated that the southern Kuril Islands are an integral part of Russian territory.
Timing Amplifies Diplomatic Impact
The timing of the visit is particularly provocative. Japan marks the anniversary of its WWII surrender on August 15, and the period surrounding it is politically sensitive. The Soviet Union seized the four islands – Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group – in the final days of the war, displacing nearly 17,000 Japanese residents.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, who accompanied Putin on the trip, announced what he called an “unprecedented” set of economic measures aimed at developing the islands. The visit signals Moscow’s intent to consolidate its control over the disputed territory despite decades of negotiations.
The territorial dispute has kept Russia and Japan in a state of technical war since 1945. Previous diplomatic efforts, including a 2018 framework under then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, collapsed without progress. Putin’s visit to the islands is the most high-profile Russian assertion of sovereignty since Mishustin’s trip in 2021.
Regional analysts say the visit further complicates an already fraught diplomatic landscape in Northeast Asia, where Japan faces simultaneous challenges from North Korean missile tests, China’s military assertiveness, and now a hardened Russian stance on the islands. The move also comes as the United States pulls its only aircraft carrier from the Pacific to reinforce operations elsewhere, potentially emboldening Russian and Chinese territorial ambitions in the region.
Sources: Japan Times; CNBC; Kyodo News; TASS
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