Putin visits disputed Iturup island for first time. Why is Japan angry?

A long-running territorial dispute has flared up again in the Pacific. Russian President Vladimir Putin stepped onto the disputed Iturup island for the first time on Thursday. His visit immediately prompted a stern rebuke from Japan. Tokyo said the move was unacceptable. It warned that Putin's visit could make the already strained relationship between Japan and Russia even harder to repair."It hurts the feelings of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable," Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a televised statement."We hope that the Russian side will take the seriousness of this matter fully to heart," she added.Following her address, she wrote on X: "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." WHY ITURUP MATTERS TO JAPANThe island is known as Iturup in Russia and Etorofu in Japan. It is one of four southern Kuril islands seized by the Soviet Union in the final days of World War II. Japan calls them the Northern Territories and continues to claim sovereignty over them. Russia, however, considers the islands part of its territory.The dispute has kept Moscow and Tokyo from signing a formal peace treaty to officially end their World War II hostilities. Tokyo sees the islands' return as essential to restoring closer ties with Moscow. Putin's visit has now renewed focus on the decades-old territorial dispute.The timing of his visit is also sensitive. Tokyo is set to mark 81 years since Japan's surrender ended World War II, just two days after Putin's visit.PUTIN VISITS FISH PROCESSING PLANTRussian state news agency TASS described the trip as Putin's first visit to the island chain. Putin visited the Yasny fish-processing plant on Iturup after overseeing naval drills in Russia's Far East. Images broadcast by Vesti TV showed Putin standing beside two large tuna and a halibut while officials discussed the fishing industry and fish migration. Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Iturup, an island in the disputed Kuril Islands chain. (Photo: Reuters) He also sampled local fish roe."What lovely weather you have there, just like a resort!" Putin told local residents.The visit marks another high-profile assertion of Russia's control over the disputed territory. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev became the first Russian leader to visit the disputed islands in 2010.ITURUP VISIT DEEPENS JAPAN-RUSSIA TENSIONSRelations between the two countries deteriorated sharply after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Japan joined Western countries in condemning Moscow's military action and imposed sanctions on Russia.Takaichi said Putin's latest visit could make efforts to eventually improve relations even more difficult."Even amid the harsh state of Japan-Russia relations following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Japan has made every possible effort, but this visit can only be said to have further hardened anti-Russia sentiment within Japan and made medium- to long-term recovery of relations more difficult," she wrote on X. A screengrab of a post by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on X. Tensions are unfolding against a backdrop of growing security concerns in the region. North Korea fired a missile into waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan on Wednesday.The launch came a day before major joint military exercises involving South Korea and the US. The regional tensions also spilled into diplomacy on Thursday.Russian Ambassador to Japan Nikolai Nozdrev and Chinese Ambassador Wu Jianghao issued a joint statement opposing attempts to revise the outcome of World War II. They also warned against the remilitarisation of the Asia-Pacific.- EndsWith inputs from ReutersPublished By: Satyam SinghPublished On: Aug 13, 2026 18:08 IST