Russia summons Japanese ambassador over Takaichi's remarks on Putin's Kuril Islands visit

Relations between Russia and Japan have escalated after Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first-ever visit to the disputed Kuril island of Etorofu on August 13, 2026. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi condemned the visit as absolutely unacceptable, prompting Russia to summon Japanese Ambassador Akira Muto on August 18, 2026, over her anti-Russian remarks. Moscow warned of potential countermeasures as bilateral ties continue to deteriorate over Japan's G7 sanctions and support for Ukraine.

Putin's Kuril Islands visit

• ▪Russian President Vladimir Putin inspected Russian naval drills in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, claiming that international documents confirm the Kuril Islands are Russian territory.
• ▪Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the disputed island of Etorofu, known as Iturup in Russia, on Thursday, August 13, 2026, marking his first-ever visit to the disputed Kuril Islands.

Japanese ambassador summons

• ▪Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed frustration on Monday, August 17, 2026, after Japanese Ambassador Akira Muto failed to appear for a summons on the preceding Friday or Monday.
• ▪Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov summoned Japanese Ambassador to Russia Akira Muto to the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow following Japanese protests over President Vladimir Putin's island visit.
• ▪Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin delivered Moscow's protest to Japanese Ambassador Akira Muto on August 18, 2026, declaring Russia's sovereignty over the Southern Kuril Islands as indisputable.
• ▪Japanese Ambassador to Russia Akira Muto attended the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, leaving after approximately 20 to 25 minutes without commenting to reporters.

Takaichi's protest remarks

• ▪Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin's August 13, 2026 visit to Etorofu as grave and absolutely unacceptable, summoning Russia's ambassador in Tokyo in protest.
• ▪Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that the Northern Territories are inherently part of Japan and warned that Vladimir Putin's visit hardened anti-Russian sentiment within Japan.
• ▪Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi joined Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in voicing official protests over Russian President Vladimir Putin's August 13, 2026 visit to Etorofu.

Kuril Islands territorial dispute

• ▪The Soviet Union seized the four disputed islands off Hokkaido from Japan at the end of World War II in 1945 and subsequently expelled the Japanese population.
• ▪The territorial dispute over the four southernmost Kuril Islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories, has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a formal post-World War II peace treaty.

Russia-Japan relations deterioration

• ▪Relations between Moscow and Tokyo have deteriorated since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Japan joining G7 sanctions against Russia and providing financial and non-lethal defense aid to Ukraine.
• ▪The Russian Foreign Ministry informed Japanese Ambassador Akira Muto on August 18, 2026, that Moscow reserves the right to take countermeasures due to Japan's sanctions and support for Ukraine.
• ▪Japan indirectly supports Ukrainian air defense by exporting domestically produced Patriot interceptor missiles to the United States to replenish American stockpiles reduced by military aid to Kyiv.

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