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.

Where is Kuril Islands located?

The Kuril Islands consist of a vast volcanic archipelago featuring 56 islands and numerous smaller islets, stretching about 1,200 km (750 miles) across the North Pacific Ocean. This group includes four islands located between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean, near Japan’s northernmost prefecture, Hokkaido. Japan claims four of these islands: Iturup (Etorofu in Japanese), Kunashir (Kunashiri), Shikotan and Habomai. They are situated near Japan, just off the shores of Hokkaido.

The islands are governed by Russia as part of the Sakhalin region. However, Japan asserts that the four islands it claims belong to Hokkaido prefecture and refers to their status as “illegally occupied” by Russia.

What is the dispute about?

Both Moscow and Tokyo assert their claims of sovereignty over these islands, which have been under Russian control since the conclusion of the Second World War. The Soviet Union took possession of the islands at the end of the war and expelled the Japanese residents by 1949. Tokyo argues that the islands in dispute have been part of Japan since the early 19th century.

The naming of these islands varies between the two countries: Russia refers to them as the ‘Southern Kurils,’ while Japan designates them as the ‘Northern Territories.’

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.

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. 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.

What was the reason behind Putin’s visit?

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 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.

Mr. Putin’s trip to the island happened two days before Japan’s commemoration of 81 years since its surrender that concluded World War Two, and just one day after North Korea launched a missile into the sea that lies between it and Japan, in advance of significant joint military drills by Seoul and Washington.

How Japan reacted?

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday (August 13) sternly criticised Mr. 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.

Addressing an informal press conference at the official residence following reports of the visit, Ms. Takaichi highlighted that Tokyo had repeatedly urged Moscow to refrain from high-level presidential visits to the region ever since President Putin indicated his intention to visit in January 2024.

“I strongly protest today’s visit to Iturup Island by President Putin. 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. Takaichi said in a post on X.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi echoed the sentiment, declaring that his country “strongly protests” against Mr. Putin’s visit to Iturup, which Japan calls Etorofu. “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.

Japan also protested in 2021 when Russia’s Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Iturup.

(With agency inputs)

Published – August 14, 2026 05:23 pm IST