About 20,000 Russians live on the Kuril Islands. About 17,000 Japanese lived there too, until the Soviet Union deported them in 1945. That history came back into view on Thursday, August 13, 2026, when Vladimir Putin flew to Iturup, the southernmost island of the chain, on his first-ever trip to the chain.
He met the regional governor and toured a fish-processing plant, a hospital and a school, Al Jazeera reported. Russian media said he was handed caviar. The Kremlin put out video of the stop.
Tokyo answered within hours. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned Russian Ambassador Nikolai Nozdrev to protest. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the trip “absolutely unacceptable” and said it “offends the sentiments of the Japanese people.” She also warned that it “made it more difficult to restore relations in the medium to long term.”
Four islands, two claims
Japan claims the four southernmost islands and calls them the Northern Territories. In Russian they are Kunashir, Habomai, Shikotan and Iturup. In Japanese they are Kunashiri, Habomai, Shikotan and Etorofu. Soviet forces took them at the end of World War II, and the argument has run ever since. The chain curves from Kamchatka toward Hokkaido.
Moscow sees more than a flag at stake. The islands have mineral deposits, gold and silver among them, and rich fishing grounds. During the Cold War they gave the Soviet Union air and sea bases facing the United States and Japan, and Russia has built up its forces there since. Analysts cited by France 24 say the islands carry Bastion coastal defence missile systems and SU-35 fighter aircraft.
A message to Tokyo
The timing was pointed. Putin had visited nearby Sakhalin the day before, where Russian naval forces were drilling, and held a security meeting there on “ensuring the security of Russia’s eastern borders.” He also said, “we are not threatening Japan,” and called Japan’s sanctions “unprovoked.” Scholars quoted by France 24 read the Kuril stop as a sign of Russian displeasure over those sanctions.
Relations have sunk since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Japan joined its G7 partners in sanctioning Russia and sent non-lethal defense help to Kyiv. Russia and China, meanwhile, have run joint exercises near Japan.
The sanctions kept coming. On October 2, Japan announced new measures that put 33 Russian companies and nine individuals on its lists, along with entities from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Izvestia, citing the Chinese outlet Sohu, said the wait stretched to about 50 days and linked it to energy: Russia supplies approximately 10% of Japan’s liquefied natural gas.
Putin said in early September that Japan’s position did not surprise him. He added that he was ready to keep talking with Tokyo on a peace treaty and on humanitarian issues.
Sources
- Japan Protests Russia's Putin Visit to Disputed Kuril Islands
- Japan summons Russian ambassador after Putin visits disputed Kuril Islands
- China Pointed to Japan's Belated Response to Putin's Visit to the Kuril Islands
