Putin visits disputed Kuril Islands, prompting protest from Japan

Aug 13, 2026

Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first in-person visit to the disputed Kuril Islands on August 13, 2026, visiting a fish-processing plant on Iturup. The visit prompted a strong diplomatic protest from Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who asserted Japan's historical and legal rights to the territory. The unresolved dispute over the islands, seized by the Soviet Union in 1945, has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a formal World War II peace treaty.

Putin Kuril Islands visit

▪Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Yasny fish-processing plant on Iturup, sampled local fish roe, and spoke with local residents during his visit on August 13, 2026.
▪Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, an island in the disputed Kuril Islands chain, on August 13, 2026, marking his first in-person visit to the island chain.

Japan diplomatic protest

▪Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi strongly protested Russian President Vladimir Putin's August 13, 2026 visit, declaring the Northern Territories as Japan's inherent territory historically and under international law.
▪Japan's diplomatic relations with Russia have deteriorated since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, coinciding with Moscow's warming relations with China and North Korea.

Russia-Japan territorial dispute

▪Russia and Japan have never signed a formal World War II peace treaty due to their unresolved territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories.
▪The Soviet Union seized the Kuril Islands in 1945 during the final days of World War II and subsequently deported approximately 17,000 Japanese residents from the territory.
▪In 1956, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev suggested returning two of the disputed Kuril Islands under a peace treaty, but bilateral talks resumed after 1991 have yielded no progress.

Russian Pacific naval drills

▪Russian President Vladimir Putin held a security meeting in the Sakhalin Region on August 12, 2026, focused on ensuring the safety of Russia's eastern borders.
▪Prior to visiting the Kuril Islands on August 13, 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin observed Russian Pacific fleet military drills from the missile cruiser Varyag in the Sakhalin Region.

Kuril Islands strategic importance

▪In July 2026, Chinese and Russian naval warships conducted a joint patrol through a strait in the Kuril Islands, following Russian military drills in the area in 2025.
▪The Kuril Islands serve as strategic military bases for Russia, with Iturup hosting the primary Russian military air base in the region.

Kuril Islands natural resources

▪The disputed Kuril Islands, populated by approximately 20,000 Russian citizens, contain valuable mineral deposits including gold and silver, alongside rich fishing grounds.
▪The volcanic Kuril archipelago consists of four contested islands—Kunashir, Habomai, Shikotan, and Iturup—located between Russia's Kamchatka peninsula and Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.