Putin Visits Japan-Claimed Iturup Island, Drawing Strong Protest From Tokyo

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, a disputed island claimed by Japan, on Thursday, prompting a strong protest from Tokyo as tensions remain elevated across Northeast Asia.

Iturup, known as Etorofu in Japan, is part of the Kuril island chain near Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. Russia administers the territory, while Japan considers it part of its Northern Territories. The decades-old territorial dispute has prevented Moscow and Tokyo from signing a formal peace treaty following World War II.

Russian state news agency TASS described the trip as Putin’s first in-person visit to the island chain. His arrival came after he observed major Russian naval exercises in the country’s Far East.

During his visit to Iturup, Putin toured the Yasny fish-processing plant, where officials discussed the local fishing industry and fish migration. Russian television footage showed the president examining tuna and halibut and sampling locally produced fish roe.

Putin also spoke with residents and commented on the island’s favorable weather, joking with locals about its resort-like conditions.

Japan quickly condemned the Russian president’s visit. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on X that the Northern Territories, including Etorofu, are an inherent part of Japan based on history and international law.

“Japan strongly protests this visit,” Motegi said.

The visit adds another source of friction to an already tense regional security environment. It came one day after North Korea, a close Russian ally, fired a ballistic missile toward waters east of the Korean Peninsula.

The North Korean missile launch occurred just days before major joint military exercises involving South Korea and the United States. Pyongyang has repeatedly criticized such drills, portraying them as preparations for military action against North Korea.

Putin’s Iturup visit highlights the continuing Russia-Japan territorial dispute while drawing renewed attention to shifting security relationships in Northeast Asia, where military exercises, missile launches and longstanding sovereignty disputes continue to complicate diplomatic relations.