US Backs Japan After Putin’s Visit to Disputed Kuril Islands

The United States has condemned the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, saying it recognizes Japan’s sovereignty over the Northern Territories. Putin visited the Kuril Islands for the first time in his 26-year tenure on Thursday, Aug. 13, drawing fresh attention to the decades-long territorial dispute with Japan that traces back to the Soviet Union and World War II.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “As Japan and the United States work together through their alliance to promote prosperity across the entire Indo-Pacific region, we strongly oppose any actions that would undermine peace and stability in the region,” George Glass, the US ambassador to Japan, said in a statement on Friday, Aug. 14. US joins Kyiv in condemning the strike, Russia rejects objections On Thursday, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Moscow of using the same tactics of occupation it has been using in its war against Ukraine. “Putin’s provocative visit to Japan’s Etorofu island demonstrates utter disrespect to Japan,” Sybiha said in a statement, adding that the visit “represents a deliberate attempt to intimidate, escalate tensions, and normalize illegal occupation.” Japan has since summoned Russia’s ambassador over the matter, according to AFP. “The Northern Territories are an inherent part of Japan’s territory, both historically and under international law,” Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said. Other Topics of Interest Russian Mercenary Targets Ukrainian Artist in Warsaw Poland’s Internal Security Agency detained the suspect on Aug. 7 near Warsaw’s Wołoska Street, a day after authorities first disclosed the plot without naming the target. However, the Russian embassy rejected Japan’s objections, with their authorities saying that the islands were “an integral part of the Russian Federation,” and that Putin’s travel there was not “a matter for discussion with foreign states.” Dispute rooted in World War II The Moscow-Tokyo dispute dates back to Empress Catherine II’s 1786 declaration that Russian explorers had discovered the islands. “Japan’s PM Takaichi can prattle on all she likes about the Kuril Islands being ‘historically Japanese,’ but this chatter won’t change a thing,” former President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday, adding that “they were, are, and will remain Russian land.” Stretching from Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula to Japan’s Hokkaido, the Kuril islands remain under Russian control, despite Japan claiming the four southernmost islands in the chain – Etorofu (Russian Iturup), Kunashiri, Shikotan, and Habomai – arguing they were “illegally occupied.” After Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Ukraine in 2022, Japan joined Western sanctions against Moscow, straining the relationship further. In response, Moscow withdrew from formally signing a peace treaty ending World War II. Russia had also frozen joint economic projects involving the islands. Simultaneously, Glass’s statement reflects a further hardening in the US stance toward Russia. Over the past few years of the war, President Donald Trump declined to label Russia an aggressor and predicted that Russia would prevail over Ukraine.In recent months, however, he has begun shifting his diplomatic posture.In July, he expressed newfound respect for Ukraine following its battlefield gains, and even floating the possibility of allowing Ukraine to domestically produce its own Patriot missiles – a weapon Ukraine urgently needs to defend itself against Russian ballistic missiles. Ukraine-Japan ties deepen As Moscow’s dispute with Tokyo grows, Ukraine-Japan ties have deepened. In 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree formally recognizing the islands as Japanese territory under temporary Russian occupation. During the week of Aug. 10-16, Ukrainian authorities held a series of meetings throughout the week with Japan’s outgoing Ambassador to Ukraine, Masashi Nakagome, discussing Japan’s possible role in the Drone Deal initiative, further cooperation and broader security measures as winter approaches. Cooperation between Ukraine and Japan currently operates under the fifth phase of the Emergency Recovery Programme – which has a budget of roughly $38.5 million and covers infrastructure, water systems, the maritime sector, healthcare, and agriculture. “Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow,” Japan’s outgoing Ambassador to Ukraine, Masashi Nakagome said in his official statement, adding that Japan strongly supports Ukraine, and will continue to do so, aiming to “achieve a just and lasting peace as soon as possible.” Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.