Tokyo, Japan – The Japanese Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to Tokyo to protest Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Iturup Island, one of the disputed southern Kuril Islands, in a move that brought the territorial dispute back to the forefront of Russian-Japanese relations.
Putin’s visit is of particular importance as it is his first personal visit to the southern Kuril Islands, which have been under Russian control since the end of World War II, while Japan considers the four islands at the southernmost end of the chain to be part of its territory and calls them the “Northern Territories”.
During his visit to Iturup, Putin was briefed on local economic activities, including facilities related to the fishing and fish processing sector, and held meetings with officials in the region, in a Russian message confirming Moscow’s continued management and development of the islands.
The roots of the conflict go back to the final days of World War II, when Soviet forces seized the four islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai Islands.
Since then, Japan has continued to demand the return of the islands, while Russia maintains that its sovereignty over them came in the aftermath of World War II and that their legal status is settled.
Iturup is of great strategic importance, given its location in the North Pacific and its proximity to the Japanese island of Hokkaido. It also boasts rich marine resources, particularly in the fishing industry.
The impact of the dispute was not limited to sovereignty, as the conflict over the islands contributed to the continued absence of a formal peace treaty between Russia and Japan to end the state of war left by World War II.
Relations between Moscow and Tokyo have become increasingly strained in recent years, particularly after Japan joined Western sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Tokyo views Russian visits and activities on the disputed islands as a provocation and an assertion of the status quo, while Moscow considers its presence in the region a normal matter within its territory.
Putin’s visit to Iturup brings back into focus one of East Asia’s oldest territorial disputes, at a time when the chances of a final settlement between Russia and Japan remain limited.
