Russia summons Japanese envoy over Kuril Islands dispute
Russia summoned Japan's ambassador after Tokyo condemned Putin's visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, escalating a decades-old territorial row.
Russia's Foreign Ministry summoned the Japanese ambassador on Tuesday to lodge a formal protest over Tokyo's condemnation of President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to the Kuril Islands, a Pacific archipelago controlled by Moscow but claimed by Japan.
Putin travelled to Iturup, one of the four southernmost islands in the chain, last week. Japan refers to these territories as the Northern Territories and considers them its inherent territory. The Soviet Union seized the islands from Japan in the closing days of World War II, and the dispute has prevented the two nations from signing a formal peace treaty to end their wartime hostilities.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called Putin's visit "absolutely unacceptable" and said it was incompatible with Japan's position on the Northern Territories. She added that the trip dealt a further blow to already-strained bilateral ties over Ukraine. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also issued a strong protest, asserting that the islands are Japan's inherent territory both historically and under international law.
In response, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin met with Ambassador Akira Muto and stated that Russia's sovereignty over the southern Kuril Islands is "absolutely unshakable." The ministry said the territories came under Russian control as a result of World War II, enshrined in agreements by the Allied Powers and the U.N. Charter, and called any Japanese challenge to that reality "unacceptable and unlawful."
Galuzin also warned that Moscow reserves the right to take countermeasures given Tokyo's adherence to Western sanctions over Ukraine. Decades of diplomatic efforts have failed to resolve the dispute, and Russia has strengthened its military presence on the islands in recent years.
Speaking last week aboard a warship during Pacific drills, Putin noted that Moscow had once developed constructive relations with Japan under the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but said Tokyo's sanctions and its designation of Russia as a primary threat had changed that dynamic. He reiterated that Russia remains ready to cooperate with all its neighbours, including Japan.