Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi issued a formal criticism following Vladimir Putin’s visit to Iturup, one of four islands in the Kuril chain claimed by both Russia and Japan. The Prime Minister characterized the visit as “absolutely unacceptable” and stated it had damaged Japanese public opinion regarding Russia. She emphasized that the island chain represented Japanese territory both from historical and international legal perspectives.
The territorial dispute over the Kurils has persisted for decades and remains the primary obstacle preventing Russia and Japan from signing a peace treaty following World War Two. The four southernmost islands in the chain are administered by Russia but claimed by Japan, which refers to them as the Northern Territories. At the conclusion of World War Two, the Soviet Union annexed the islands and relocated approximately 17,000 Japanese residents from the territory.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi similarly protested the visit, reiterating Japan’s position that the islands constitute inherently Japanese territory according to both historical records and international law. The government has filed prior objections to visits by other Russian officials to the disputed islands, including visits by former and current Russian prime ministers.
The strategic importance of the Kurils to Russia has increased in recent years, with military expansion accelerating across the past decade. Iturup serves as Russia’s primary regional military air base. Additionally, Russia has conducted regular military exercises near the islands and participated in joint naval operations in the area alongside Chinese forces, drawing further expressions of concern from the Japanese government.
Bilateral relations between the countries have remained tense, with Japan having imposed sanctions against Russia in response to its 2022 military action in Ukraine. Historical efforts to resolve the territorial disagreement have produced minimal progress.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI