TOKYO, Japan (East Asia), Aug. 13, 2026: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the Putin Kuril Islands visit “absolutely unacceptable” Thursday after Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled to Russian-administered Iturup, which Japan claims as Etorofu.
Japan lodged a formal protest with Moscow, according to Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who reiterated Tokyo’s claim that the four disputed southern islands constitute Japanese territory under historical facts and international law.
Takaichi said Putin’s visit damaged Japanese public sentiment and was incompatible with Tokyo’s longstanding position. She urged Moscow to recognise the seriousness of the dispute.
The Kremlin confirmed Putin’s visit, during which he inspected local facilities and spoke with residents. ins his first trip to the disputed island.
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Iturup is part of the Kuril chain between Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.
Russia administers Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai islets, while Japan claims them collectively as its Northern Territories.
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Soviet forces took control of the islands near the end of the Second World War. The unresolved sovereignty dispute has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from signing a formal postwar peace treaty.
Relations have deteriorated further since Japan imposed sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Tokyo has also protested earlier visits to the islands by senior Russian officials and Moscow’s expansion of military infrastructure in the region.
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The latest Putin Kuril Islands visit is therefore likely to deepen the diplomatic impasse, with neither government signalling a change in its territorial position.
