Japan’s Foreign Ministry lodged a protest after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup Island. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described Tokyo’s reaction as a meaningless ritual.
Zakharova said a protest should contain substance rather than consist only of formalities. She argued that Japan’s statement did not meet this standard and said the protest was meaningless both in form and in substance.
Moscow-Tokyo divide over the Iturup dispute
Zakharova also claimed that the agenda concerning the islands had been artificially constructed in Japan. She argued that the issue had been imposed on Japanese society from outside and said this approach had been permanently embedded in people’s minds.
Putin inspected several social facilities on Iturup Island, which Japan considers its own territory. Japan’s Foreign Ministry issued a protest statement after the visit.
Iturup is one of the four southern Kuril Islands. Tokyo continues to claim sovereignty over the four islands. Moscow maintains that the islands became part of the Soviet Union after World War II and that Russia’s sovereignty over them is not subject to dispute.