MOSCOW, 18 August 2026(Ghufran) — Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned Japanese Ambassador Akira Muto to protest Tokyo’s condemnation of President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, a Pacific archipelago controlled by Russia but claimed by both countries.Putin visited Iturup, one of the four southernmost islands of the chain, last week. Japan refers to the island as Etorofu and calls the four southern islands the Northern Territories. The Soviet Union seized the islands from Japan in the final days of World War II, and the territorial dispute has prevented Moscow and Tokyo from signing a formal peace treaty to end their wartime hostilities.apanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described Putin’s visit as incompatible with Japan’s position on the Northern Territories and called it “absolutely unacceptable.” She said the visit had dealt another blow to already strained relations between Japan and Russia, particularly over the war in Ukraine.Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also strongly protested Putin’s visit, reiterating Tokyo’s position that the Northern Territories, including Etorofu Island, are Japan’s inherent territory both historically and under international law.In response, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin met Ambassador Muto and lodged a formal protest over what Moscow described as “anti-Russia” statements by Takaichi and Motegi.

According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Galuzin told the Japanese ambassador that Russia’s sovereignty and jurisdiction over the southern Kuril Islands were “absolutely unshakable.” The ministry said the territories became part of Russia as a result of World War II under relevant agreements of the Allied Powers and the United Nations Charter. It warned that any attempt by Japan to directly or indirectly question what Moscow described as this established reality was “absolutely unacceptable and unlawful.”Galuzin also told Muto that, given Japan’s continued adherence to Western sanctions against Russia and its support for Ukraine, Moscow reserved the right to take appropriate countermeasures.Decades of diplomatic efforts to resolve the territorial dispute have failed to produce a settlement. Russia has also strengthened its military presence on the Kuril Islands over the years, reinforcing Moscow’s firm position on the disputed territory. Speaking last week aboard a Russian warship participating in military exercises in the Pacific, Putin said Moscow had previously developed constructive relations with several Japanese leaders, including the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who he said had made significant efforts to bring Japan and Russia closer and align their positions.