Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first official visit to the disputed Kuril Islands on Thursday (August 13, 2026), drawing immediate ire from Japan and straining diplomatic ties. This marked the first time a Russian President set foot on the territory since Dmitry Medvedev’s visit in 2010 , and it ignited protests from Tokyo, which claims the same islands.
What was the reason behind Putin’s visit?
Tokyo asserts its sovereignty over the decade-old disputed islands based on treaties like the Shimoda Treaty (1855), the Treaty of St. Petersburg (1875) and the Portsmouth Treaty (1905) following the Russo-Japanese War. Russia counters this by referencing the Yalta Agreement and the Potsdam Declaration (1945), claiming Japan acknowledged Russian sovereignty in the San Francisco Treaty (1951), which states Japan renounced claims to the Kuril Islands. In 1956, during a visit to the Soviet Union, Japan’s Prime Minister discussed the possible return of two islands, but tensions hindered a formal peace agreement. It wasn’t until 1991 that the USSR acknowledged the existence of a territorial dispute. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday (August 13) sternly criticised Mr.
However, Japan argues the San Francisco Treaty is invalid since the Soviet Union didn’t sign it and insists that the four disputed islands are not part of the Kuril chain. Despite the lack of a peace treaty after World War II, Japan and Russia remain technically at war. The primary destination of Mr. Putin’s visit was Iturup Island, the largest and most strategically important of the four southern Kuril islands that Tokyo claims. On the trip, which the state news agency TASS described as Mr. Putin’s first in-person visit to the island chain, he visited the Yasny fish-processing plant on Iturup after overseeing the navy drills in Russia’s Far East. Mr. Putin also visited a hospital and a school on Iturup. He also briefly spoke to residents and met with the governor of Russia’s Sakhalin region, Valery Limarenko. Speaking aboard a warship that was taking part in the naval exercises, Mr. Putin’s visit to Iturup, which Japan calls Etorofu.
Putin said that the current status of the Kuril Islands “is enshrined in international documents as a reality that arose following the outcome of the World War II. “But even here, Russia was prepared to seek a solution with the goal of concluding a peace treaty with Japan ,” he said. Putin’s visit to Iturup Island in the disputed Northern Territories, warning that the “absolutely unacceptable” move severely damages bilateral ties and deepens anti-Russian sentiment within Japan. Takaichi said in a post on X. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi echoed the sentiment, declaring that his country “strongly protests” against Mr. “The Northern Territories, including Etorofu (Iturup) Island, are Japan’s inherent territory both historically and from the perspective of international law,” Mr. Motegi said in a statement.
The Northern Territories are inherently Japanese territory both historically and under international law, and this visit to Iturup Island by Russia’s incumbent president is incompatible with Japan’s consistent position on the Northern Territories,” Ms. “I strongly protest today’s visit to Iturup Island by President Putin.
