Putin Lands on Disputed Islands, Japan Immediately Object.

Japan has strongly protested Russian President Vladimir Putin visit to Iturup, one of the four southernmost islands in the Kuril chain that are claimed by both Russia and Japan. Russian state media reported that Putin visited Iturup on Thursday. The island is known as Etorofu in Japan and is part of what Tokyo calls the Northern Territories. Japan Objects to the Visit Japan Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the government considered the islands to be Japanese territory and strongly protested Putin visit. The reaction reflects a territorial dispute that has persisted between Moscow and Tokyo for decades. The disagreement has also been a major obstacle to the two countries signing a formal peace treaty to fully conclude the legacy of World War Two. A Long-Running Territorial Dispute The Kuril Islands stretch between Japan northern island of Hokkaido and Russia Kamchatka Peninsula. Japan claims the four southernmost islands, while Russia administers them. The Soviet Union took control of the island chain at the end of World War Two, after which thousands of Japanese residents were displaced from the islands. The competing claims have remained a sensitive issue in relations between the two countries, with diplomatic tensions periodically increasing over Russian military activity in the region. Putin Visits Local Residents During his visit, Putin reportedly met residents and sampled fish roe, according to Russian state media. Iturup is not only politically significant but also strategically important to Russia. The island hosts a major military air base and forms part of a chain of strategically positioned territories in the North Pacific. Recent military activity has added another layer to the dispute. Last month, Chinese and Russian naval vessels sailed through a strait in the Kuril Islands during a joint patrol, while Russia also conducted military exercises near the islands last year. Japan condemned those exercises, underscoring its concerns about Russia expanding military presence in territory Tokyo continues to claim. A Dispute That Remains Unresolved Putin visit has once again brought the territorial disagreement into the spotlight. While Russia continues to administer the islands, Japan maintains its claim to the four southernmost territories. For Tokyo, the visit represents another challenge to its longstanding position. For Moscow, control and military activity around the islands remain part of its broader strategic presence in the region. The latest protest therefore highlights how a territorial disagreement dating back to the aftermath of World War Two continues to shape relations between Japan and Russia more than seven decades later.