Russia Summons Japanese Ambassador, Lodges Strong Protest Over Reaction to Putin’s Iturup Visit
Dragon Media News Desk
Russia has lodged a strong protest with Japan over statements made by Japanese leaders following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Iturup Island.
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Japanese Ambassador to Moscow Akira Muto on Tuesday and formally protested remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi concerning Putin’s visit.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told the Japanese ambassador that Moscow considers any attempt to question Russia’s sovereignty and jurisdiction over the southern Kuril Islands unacceptable.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the southern Kuril Islands became part of Russia under the post-Second World War settlement. Moscow said any direct or indirect attempt by Japan to challenge that status was unacceptable and unlawful.
The Russian side also referred to Japan’s continued participation in Western sanctions against Russia and its support for Ukraine, saying Moscow reserves the right to take appropriate countermeasures if necessary.
President Putin visited Iturup Island on August 13, marking his first personal visit to the island. During the trip, he inspected local infrastructure and facilities, including the fishing and processing sector.
Japan strongly protested the visit. Tokyo refers to Iturup as Etorofu and claims Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai group as its “Northern Territories.”
Prime Minister Takaichi described Putin’s visit as unacceptable, while Foreign Minister Motegi summoned the Russian ambassador in Tokyo to lodge a formal protest.
Russia, however, maintains that the entire Kuril archipelago was incorporated into the Soviet Union as a result of the Second World War and that Russian sovereignty over the islands, as the USSR’s legal successor, is not open to question.
The dispute over the southern Kuril Islands remains one of the principal reasons Russia and Japan have never concluded a formal peace treaty following the Second World War.
Russia continues to exercise administrative control over the islands, while Japan maintains its claim to the four southern territories.
The latest diplomatic confrontation adds further pressure to Russia-Japan relations, which have already deteriorated sharply since the Ukraine conflict and Japan’s participation in sanctions against Moscow.
