Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Sakhalin extended to Iturup, one of the Kuril Islands at the center of a territorial dispute with Japan. Putin traveled to the island as part of his program in Russia’s Far East.
Accompanied by Sakhalin Governor Valery Limarenko, Putin visited a fish-processing facility and a local hospital on Iturup. The Kremlin press service said the Russian leader later visited a school and met with Limarenko at the end of his program.
The dispute over the Kuril Islands
TASS described the trip to Iturup as Putin’s first personal visit to the Kuril Islands. The volcanic islands, administered by Russia, lie north of Japan’s Hokkaido Island.
The territorial dispute between Russia and Japan concerns four islands in the southern part of the archipelago. Japan calls Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai islets the “Northern Territories.”
Dispute continues to block peace treaty
The territorial dispute between the two countries has prevented the signing of a peace treaty since World War II. Tensions between Moscow and Tokyo have intensified in recent years after Japan imposed sanctions on Russia over the Russia-Ukraine war.
Motegi protests to Moscow
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi objected to Putin’s visit in a statement from the ministry. Motegi argued that the islands, including Iturup, are an integral part of Japanese territory both historically and under international law.
During his Sakhalin program, Putin also addressed sailors aboard the Pacific Fleet’s flagship, the cruiser Varyag. The Russian leader said Japan continued to pursue territorial claims over the southern Kuril Islands.
Putin also said that constructive relations existed between Moscow and Tokyo on the issue during the administration of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Russian leader stated that Moscow had not provoked the changes in Japan’s position.
