Putin's Visit to Etorofu Island Sparks Strong Protest from Japan

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Etorofu Island on his first visit as president to a series of islands controlled by Russia but claimed by Japan in relation to the position of the islands off the coast of Hokkaido Island, Japan.

Putintersebut's visit triggered a strong reaction from Tokyo, Russian news agency TASS reported.

Responding to the report, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi conveyed a message stating that Japan "strongly protested" the visit.

Reporting from Kyodo-OANA, Thursday, August 13, Motegi emphasized that "the four Northern Territories, including Etorofu Island, are inherently Japanese territory, both based on history and international law."

Japan says the archipelago of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai group of islets was illegally seized by the Soviet Union shortly after Japan surrendered in World War II. Russia, which calls the territory the Southern Kurils, argues the takeover was legitimate.

Putin's visit, which comes almost 4.5 years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, appears aimed at showing Moscow's domestic and foreign observers it will not make territorial concessions, including to Japan which has called for the return of the disputed islands.

The territorial dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty after World War II.

Prospects for resuming negotiations on signing the agreement are slim, with little sign of improving bilateral ties after Japan joined the United States and other countries in imposing sanctions aimed at reducing Moscow's war funding after the invasion began in 2022.

The visit was the first for Putin, both as Russian president, a post he has held intermittently since 2000, and during his 2008-2012 term as prime minister.

Russian President at the time, Dmitry Medvedev, became the first Russian head of state to visit the disputed islands when he made a visit to Kunashiri Island in 2010.