Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first-ever visit to the disputed Kuril Islands on August 13, 2026, traveling to Iturup Island after overseeing Pacific Fleet military drills. The historic trip drew a furious diplomatic protest from Tokyo, with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi calling the visit absolutely unacceptable. The territorial dispute dates back to the Soviet seizure of the islands in 1945, which has prevented the two nations from signing a formal World War II peace treaty. Relations have deteriorated further since Japan imposed sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Putin's Kuril Islands visit
- ▪Prior to visiting Iturup Island, Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw Pacific Fleet military exercises in Russia's Far East and visited Sakhalin Island.
- ▪During his visit to Iturup Island on August 13, 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Yasny fish-processing plant, a hospital, and a school, and met with Sakhalin Region Governor Valery Limarenko.
- ▪Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first personal visit to the disputed Kuril Islands on August 13, 2026, traveling to Iturup Island.
Japan's diplomatic protest
- ▪Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned Russian Ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev to the ministry in Tokyo to lodge a strong protest over Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit.
- ▪Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi strongly protested Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Iturup Island, asserting that the Northern Territories are Japan's inherent territory historically and under international law.
- ▪The Russian Embassy in Japan rejected Tokyo's protest as unfounded, stating that the southern Kuril Islands are an integral part of the Russian Federation following World War II.
- ▪Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit is absolutely unacceptable, hurts the feelings of the Japanese people, and further hardens Japanese public sentiment toward Russia.
Kuril Islands territorial dispute
- ▪The territorial dispute over the four southern Kuril Islands—Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and the Habomai islets—dates back to August 1945, when Soviet forces seized them in the final days of World War II.
- ▪The unresolved territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a formal peace treaty to officially end their World War II hostilities.
- ▪Dmitry Medvedev became the first Russian leader to visit the disputed Kuril Islands in 2010, subsequently visiting them multiple times as president and prime minister.
- ▪In 1956, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev suggested that two of the disputed Kuril islands could be returned to Japan as part of a peace settlement, but no final agreement was reached.
Strategic island importance
- ▪The Kuril Islands hold strategic importance due to their location between the Russian Far East and northern Japan, having provided air and sea bases during the Cold War.
- ▪Russia has increasingly strengthened its military presence and activities in the Kuril Islands and its Far Eastern territories as regional tensions have risen.
Economic resources of islands
- ▪The disputed Kuril Islands possess rich fishing grounds and valuable mineral deposits, including gold and silver.
- ▪The disputed Kuril Islands are home to approximately 20,000 Russian residents living under Russian administration, while around 17,000 Japanese residents were deported after the 1945 Soviet occupation.
Russia-Japan relations deterioration
- ▪Deputy Chair of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev dismissed Japan's protests on August 13, 2026, stating on X that the Kuril Islands will remain Russian land.
- ▪Russian and Chinese ambassadors to Japan, Nikolai Nozdrev and Wu Jianghao, issued a joint statement on August 13, 2026, pledging to oppose attempts to revise World War II outcomes.
- ▪Tensions between Russia and Japan have deepened since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, leading Japan to impose sanctions on Moscow and Russia to suspend peace treaty negotiations.
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