Japan issued a formal diplomatic protest on 13 August 2026 after Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled to Iturup, one of four islands in the Kuril chain claimed by both Tokyo and Moscow. Russian state media described the trip as Putin's first personal visit to the island group, and Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi immediately condemned the visit as a violation of Japanese sovereignty.
According to a national broadcaster's report, Motegi's protest was posted publicly on X, marking the first time the diplomatic response was communicated directly through the government's own social media channel rather than relayed solely through press statements. He said:
The islands are inherently Japanese territory both historically and under international law, and the Government of Japan strongly protests this visit.
What did Putin do during the visit?
Putin sampled fish roe and met with local residents on Iturup, according to Russian state media. Separately, a wire service report said the Russian leader also toured the Yasny fish-processing plant on the island as part of the same trip.
Why do Japan and Russia dispute these islands?
The Kuril islands lie between Hokkaido in northern Japan and Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, and the dispute over their ownership has prevented Moscow and Tokyo from signing a formal peace treaty since the end of World War Two. At the close of the war, the Soviet Union annexed the chain and deported roughly 17,000 Japanese residents who had been living there. Japan refers to the four southernmost islands as its Northern Territories, while Russia administers them and uses Iturup as its primary military air base in the region.
A separate international report named the four disputed islands as Kunashir, Habomai, Shikotan and Iturup under their Russian names, and Kunashiri, Habomai, Shikotan and Etorofu under their Japanese names. Putin had signalled his intention to make such a visit as far back as January 2024, when Russian officials said he would "definitely one day" travel to the Southern Kuril Islands, according to a 2024 wire service report.
How does this fit into the wider pattern of tension?
Russia has held military drills near the disputed islands before, drawing condemnation from Japan on previous occasions, including a protest lodged on 5 August 2026 over exercises near the chain, as reported by a regional news outlet. Last month, Chinese and Russian naval vessels also sailed jointly through a strait within the Kuril chain. A wire service report further noted that Putin's latest visit came a day after large-scale Russian naval drills and a missile launch by North Korea, adding a broader regional-security dimension to the trip.
Tensions between Tokyo and Moscow over the islands are not new: according to a Russian state news agency report, Japan's foreign ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Mikhail Galuzin in 2021 over a similar visit to Iturup. The dispute also sits alongside other recent flashpoints in the region, including rising concern over Chinese land purchases near Japanese military bases on Kasasa Island and the largest anti-war protests Japan has seen in decades as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pushes forward military reforms.
Key Facts
- Japan formally protested on 13 August 2026 after Putin visited Iturup, called Etorofu in Japan.
- Russian state media said it was Putin's first in-person visit to the Kuril islands.
- Putin also visited the Yasny fish-processing plant on Iturup, according to a wire service report.
- The visit followed major Russian naval drills and a North Korean missile launch, adding to regional tensions.
- Japan previously summoned Russia's ambassador over a similar 2021 visit to the same island.
