Putin’s Kuril Island tour sparks Japanese outrage and heightens territorial dispute

Vladimir Putin made his inaugural visit to the Kuril archipelago, stopping on Iturup to inspect local infrastructure such as a school, a hospital and industrial facilities. Japan’s leader, Sanae Takaichi, labeled the trip “absolutely unacceptable” and reaffirmed the islands as Japanese territory, referring to them as the Northern Territories. The Russian Foreign Ministry countered by describing the islands as an integral part of Russia.

Experts said the timing, just before the 81st anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender, signaled Moscow’s anger at Tokyo’s backing of Ukraine and its deepening NATO connections, while also serving to rally patriotic sentiment at home. The longstanding dispute, unresolved since Soviet forces seized the islands after Japan’s 1945 surrender, continues to block a formal peace treaty between the two nations. Analysts warned that constitutional bans on ceding territory and growing nationalist rhetoric make any future return of the islands unlikely, even if Russian leadership changes.