Takaichi Lodges 'Strong Protest' Over Putin's Visit to Kuril Islands

▲ Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that she "strongly protests" Russian President Vladimir Putin's first-ever visit to the Kuril Islands, a territory embroiled in a sovereignty dispute with Japan.

Prime Minister Takaichi met with reporters at the Prime Minister's Official Residence this afternoon (August 13), saying, "The Northern Territories are inherently Japanese territory, both historically and under international law."

Takaichi noted, "Since President Putin made remarks in January 2024 indicating his intent to visit the Northern Territories, the Japanese government has repeatedly requested the Russian side to prevent such a visit," adding, "This visit by the incumbent Russian president is unacceptable given Japan's consistent position on the Northern Territories."

She further evaluated, "Japan-Russia relations are in a difficult situation due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine," and stated, "This visit further exacerbates anti-Russia sentiment within Japan and makes mid- to long-term recovery in relations even more difficult."

Earlier, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also posted on social media, stating, "The Northern Territories, including Etorofu Island, are inherently Japanese territory historically and under international law, and Japan strongly protests this visit."

Japan refers to the four islands located north of Hokkaido and at the southern end of the Russian Kuril Islands—Kunashiri, Etorofu, Shikotan, and Habomai—as the Northern Territories, and has been locked in a sovereignty dispute with Russia over them.

According to Russian state-run TASS and AFP news agencies, President Putin, who is on a tour of Siberia and the Far East, directly visited the Kuril Islands on this day to inspect the flagship of the Russian Pacific Fleet and receive training reports.

President Putin then held a meeting with Valery Limarenko, governor of the Sakhalin Region, followed by visits to a seafood processing plant, a hospital, and a school on Etorofu Island.

While Dmitry Medvedev, a close confidant of President Putin and former Russian president, visited the Kuril Islands in 2010 during his presidency as the first Russian leader to do so, President Putin had not directly visited the region until now.

A Japanese government official told the Yomiuri Shimbun, "We will assess President Putin's true intentions and consider our future response."

The newspaper commented that with the Russia-Ukraine war approaching four and a half years, the visit appears intended to demonstrate domestically and internationally that Russia will not compromise regarding territorial disputes.

During his visit yesterday to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in the Russian Far East near Japan, President Putin publicly expressed dissatisfaction, stating, "Japan failed to properly grasp the root causes of the Ukraine situation and imposed unilateral sanctions against Russia."

Prime Minister Takaichi previously sent a message of support last month to a summit of leaders for the "Coalition of the Willing" in support of Ukraine held in Paris, France, expressing her intention to continue supporting Ukraine and maintaining sanctions against Russia.

During his visit to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, President Putin also remarked, "We are not threatening Japan, and we are not making any territorial claims against Japan."

Last month, Prime Minister Takaichi met with descendants of former residents who lived in the Kuril Islands before being expelled by the Soviet Union, stating, "Our policy to resolve the issue of the attribution of the Northern Territories and conclude a peace treaty remains unchanged."

The Kuril Islands currently have a population of only 20,000, but the region is rich in mineral resources such as gold and silver, as well as marine resources in the surrounding waters.

Since the Soviet Union, Russia's predecessor, occupied the region toward the end of World War II in 1945, expelled the Japanese residents, and stationed troops there, no Japanese nationals have resided on the islands.

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