Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the disputed Kuril Islands has triggered a sharp protest from Japan, reviving a decades-old territorial dispute. His appearance on Iturup comes amid growing Russian militarisation, strained Tokyo-Moscow ties and shifting security alignments involving China and North Korea
Drawing Tokyo’s ire, Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first-ever personal visit to the contested Kuril Islands on Wednesday.
Stepping onto the island of Iturup (known in Japan as Etorofu) following an inspection of Russian Pacific Fleet naval manoeuvres off Sakhalin Island, Putin toured key industrial infrastructure and met with local residents.
The surprise appearance on the ground marks the first time a Russian head of state has set foot on the disputed island chain since 2010, sending a signal that Moscow regards its sovereignty over the territory as non-negotiable.
Japan’s government responded with indignation, lodging an official diplomatic protest through ambassadorial channels.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi declared that the island group — referred to in Tokyo as the “Northern Territories” — constitutes an “inherent part of Japan’s territory, both historically and under international law,” warning that Putin’s presence on the island “offends the sentiments of the Japanese people” and severely damages the prospects of restoring bilateral ties.
The visit has put into the spotlight a lingering territorial dispute from the final days of World War II which has escalated into a flashpoint in the North Pacific, and has now also been amplified by Russia’s war in Ukraine we well as Moscow’s deepening military partnership with Beijing and Pyongyang.
More from ExplainersInside Putin’s visit: From Sakhalin naval drills to Iturup Island
Putin’s trip to the Far East began with a high-profile inspection of major naval exercises conducted by Russia’s Pacific Fleet. The manoeuvres, which had been underway across the region, culminated off the coast of Sakhalin Island.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is greeted on board the missile cruiser “Varyag” after observing a military drill of the Pacific Fleet in Russia’s far eastern Sakhalin Region, Russia, August 13, 2026. File Image/Sputnik via Reuters
While on Sakhalin, Putin boarded the Pacific Fleet’s flagship missile cruiser, the Varyag, where he received operational briefings from naval commanders and observed live-fire surface-to-sea tactical drills.
Following the naval inspection, the Russian president convened a closed-door meeting in Sakhalin focusing on “ensuring the security of Russia’s eastern borders,” according to state news agency RIA Novosti.
Russian President Vladimir Putin observes a military drill of the Pacific fleet on board the missile cruiser “Varyag”, in Russia’s far eastern Sakhalin Region, Russia, August 13, 2026. File Image/Sputnik via Reuters
The primary destination of the trip, however, was Iturup Island, the largest and most strategically significant of the four southern Kuril islands claimed by Tokyo.
Kremlin television footage showed Putin arriving on the island and touring the Yasny fish-processing complex, an industrial plant that symbolises Moscow’s economic investments in the region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Yasny fish processing complex on the Southern Kuril Island of Iturup, in far eastern Sakhalin Region, Russia, August 13, 2026. File Image/Sputnik via Reuters
During his tour of the facility, Putin was shown cold-storage infrastructure, inspected large catches of fresh halibut and tuna, sampled fish roe, and received a ceremonial presentation of local caviar from facility managers.
Speaking directly to groups of workers and local Russian residents in Iturup, Putin remarked on the local climate, quipping, “What lovely weather you have there, just like a resort!”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by Sakhalin region Governor Valery Limarenko and regional Minister of Education Anastasia Kikteva, walks during his visit on the Southern Kuril Island of Iturup, in far eastern Sakhalin Region, Russia, August 13, 2026. File Image/Sputnik via Reuters
In comments delivered to state media during the trip, Putin addressed the underlying friction with Tokyo.
He noted that while Moscow had previously enjoyed constructive dialogue with Japan during the administration of late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Tokyo had subsequently chosen to align itself with Western sanctions against Russia following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“Japan has identified Russia as a main source of threats,” Putin stated. “I would like to point out that we are not threatening Japan… On the contrary, it has territorial claims against our country.”
Putin claimed that the shift in Japan’s diplomatic posture was completely “unprovoked” by Moscow, asserting that Russia would proceed with expanding the defence, industrial capacity, and social infrastructure across its Far Eastern island territories regardless of Tokyo’s objections.
How Tokyo reacted
In Tokyo, news of the presidential inspection sparked backlash across the political spectrum. Takaichi addressed reporters at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence, expressing deep frustration over the development.
“The Northern Territories are an inherent part of Japan’s territory, both historically and under international law,” she stated. “President Putin’s visit offends the sentiments of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable. It has made it far more difficult to restore relations in the medium to long term.”
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L) speaks beneath a map of four islands at a “Northern Territories Day” rally in Tokyo, February 7, 2007. File Image/Reuters
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi echoed these sentiments, confirming that Tokyo had formally lodged a strong protest with the Russian Embassy in Japan and through diplomatic channels in Moscow.
Motegi reiterated Japan’s standing policy that true peace between the two nations can only be achieved through the resolution of the territorial ownership issue surrounding all four southern islands, followed by the signing of a formal post-WWII peace treaty.
Following Japan’s decision to join G7 economic sanctions against Russia in 2022 and provide financial and non-lethal defence support to Ukraine, Moscow officially designated Japan an “unfriendly state,” froze bilateral peace treaty negotiations, and revoked visa-free travel programmes that previously allowed former Japanese residents to visit ancestral graves on the islands.
What are the Kuril Islands?
The Kuril Islands form an expansive volcanic chain consisting of 56 islands and dozens of smaller rocks extending approximately 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) across the North Pacific Ocean.
The arc stretches from the southern tip of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula down to the northeastern coast of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island.
Geophysically, the archipelago forms a natural arc separating the frigid Sea of Okhotsk from the open waters of the Pacific Ocean.
While Russia exercises administrative control over the entire chain, the active territorial dispute involves the four southernmost islands situated immediately off Hokkaido.
Iturup (Etorofu): Spanning approximately 3,185 square kilometres, Iturup is the largest and most geographically diverse island in the disputed group.
It features rugged mountain terrain, active volcanoes, deep-water coastal fjords, and essential transport infrastructure, including Yasny Civil and Military Airport and the Yasny industrial fish-processing hub.
Kunashir (Kunashiri): Covering roughly 1,490 square kilometres, Kunashir lies just 15 to 20 kilometres off Hokkaido’s Nemuro Peninsula.
It is home to Yuzhno-Kurilsk, the largest administrative settlement on the disputed islands, as well as dense coniferous forests and Mount Tyatya, an iconic active stratovolcano.
Shikotan: Spanning around 250 square kilometres, Shikotan features rolling hills, dramatic coastal cliffs, and two major natural, sheltered harbours — Krabozavodskoye and Malokurilskoye — which support major year-round seafood processing operations.
Habomai Islets (Habomai Shoto): A collection of low-lying, flat, mostly uninhabited islets and reefs located just miles from Hokkaido. While uninhabited by civilians, they host Russian border guard outposts, radar installations, and rich shallow-water fishing grounds.
Approximately 20,000 Russian citizens currently reside on the islands, mostly concentrated in Iturup and Kunashir. Prior to the Soviet occupation at the end of World War II, approximately 17,000 Japanese citizens lived across the four islands alongside indigenous Ainu communities.
Between 1945 and 1948, the Soviet military systematically expelled the entire Japanese population to Hokkaido.
Historical timeline: 170 years of contested claims
The roots of the territorial impasse trace back nearly two centuries, shaped by a complex sequence of treaties, imperial expansions, and wartime agreements.
The 1855 Treaty of Shimoda
The original legal baseline for Japan’s territorial claim was established in the 1855 Treaty of Shimoda, signed between Tokugawa Japan and the Russian Empire.
The treaty peacefully established the official border between the island of Iturup (which fell under Japanese jurisdiction) and Urup (which fell under Russian jurisdiction). Under this framework, the four southern islands were formally recognised as Japanese territory.
The 1875 Treaty of Saint Petersburg
Two decades later, Tokyo and Saint Petersburg negotiated a peaceful exchange of territories.
Under the Treaty of Saint Petersburg, Japan relinquished all claims to Sakhalin Island in exchange for complete, undisputed sovereignty over the entire Kuril Island chain running north to Kamchatka.
The 1905 Treaty of Portsmouth
Following Japan’s victory in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), the Peace Treaty of Portsmouth brokered by United States President Theodore Roosevelt altered the map once again.
Japan regained control over the southern half of Sakhalin Island (south of the 50th parallel north) while retaining the full Kuril chain.
World War II and the 1945 Soviet annexation
During the Yalta Conference in February 1945, Allied leaders — Franklin D Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin — signed a secret agreement stipulating that the Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan in exchange for regaining southern Sakhalin and acquiring the Kuril Islands.
On August 9, 1945, the Soviet Union launched a massive offensive against Japanese forces.
Between August 18 and September 3, 1945 — continuing even after Japan announced its intent to surrender on August 15 — Soviet troops landed on and seized all four southern islands.
By 1948, all Japanese inhabitants had been deported.
The 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty
In 1951, Japan signed the San Francisco Peace Treaty with the Allied powers, formally renouncing “all right, title and claim to the Kuril Islands”. However, the Soviet representative walked out of the conference and refused to sign the treaty.
Tokyo subsequently argued that the four southern islands — Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and Habomai — were never historically part of the “Kuril Islands” specified in the 1875 treaty, but rather inherent Japanese territory that should be excluded from the San Francisco renunciation.
The 1956 Joint Declaration
In 1956, Moscow and Tokyo signed a Joint Declaration that formally ended the legal state of war and restored diplomatic relations.
Article 9 of the declaration stated that the Soviet Union agreed to transfer the two smaller territories — Shikotan and the Habomai islets — to Japan upon the actual conclusion of a formal peace treaty.
However, during the height of the Cold War, Japan — backed by the United States — insisted on the return of all four islands simultaneously. In response, the Soviet Union backed away from the two-island offer, particularly after Japan renewed its Security Treaty with Washington in 1960.
The Abe-Putin era (2016-2019)
Decades later, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe launched an ambitious diplomatic campaign to break the deadlock.
Meeting with Vladimir Putin more than 25 times, Abe proposed joint economic development activities on the islands and advocated for negotiations structured around the 1956 Joint Declaration framework.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attend a judo tournament on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, September 5, 2019. File Image.Sputnik via Reuters
Despite intense negotiations, talks ultimately stalled due to Moscow’s concerns regarding the US-Japan defence alliance and Russia’s constitutional amendments in 2020, which explicitly banned the cession of any Russian territory to foreign powers.
Why Moscow will not relinquish control
While regional diplomacy has frequently focused on joint economic ventures, Moscow’s refusal to consider ceding the southern islands is fundamentally driven by military and security imperatives.
The Sea of Okhotsk “bastion”
For the Russian Navy, the Sea of Okhotsk is a vital strategic “bastion” where its Pacific Fleet operates nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs).
The Kuril arc serves as a physical defensive barrier enclosing this sea. By maintaining control over every island and strait in the chain, Russia prevents foreign submarines and surface reconnaissance ships from entering the Sea of Okhotsk undetected.
Ice-free deep-water passages
During winter, large portions of the Sea of Okhotsk freeze over. However, the deep-water channels running between the southern Kuril Islands — most notably the Ekaterina Strait (between Kunashir and Iturup) and the Friz Strait (between Iturup and Urup) — remain ice-free year-round.
Controlling these straits ensures that Russian warships based in Vladivostok and Sakhalin can deploy directly into the North Pacific Ocean without passing through foreign-controlled chokepoints.
Modern anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) fortifications
Over the past decade, Russia has transformed the South Kurils into heavily militarized outposts:
Coastal missile defence: Moscow has deployed mobile K-300P Bastion-P coastal missile systems (equipped with supersonic P-800 Oniks anti-ship missiles) and Bal anti-ship missile units on Iturup and Kunashir.
Air defence architecture: Advanced S-300V4 long-range surface-to-air missile systems are installed on the islands, projecting an air defence umbrella across the surrounding airspace.
Air power: Yasny Airport on Iturup has been upgraded with military-grade runways capable of supporting modern Su-35S multirole fighter jets and heavy military transports.
Natural resources
Beyond military considerations, the South Kuril Islands possess substantial economic resources:
World-class fisheries: The convergence of the cold Oyashio Arctic current with warmer waters from the south creates a marine environment rich in plankton.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Yasny fish processing complex on the Southern Kuril Island of Iturup, in far eastern Sakhalin Region, Russia, August 13, 2026. File Image/Sputnik via Reuters
The ocean surrounding the islands supports abundant stocks of pink salmon, pollack, Pacific cod, king crab, sea urchin, and kelp. Processing complexes like the Yasny facility on Iturup generate hundreds of millions of dollars in exports annually.
Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ): Controlling the four islands grants Russia authority over thousands of square miles of contiguous Exclusive Economic Zone waters, securing valuable fishing rights and subsea resources.
Rare strategic minerals: Iturup Island contains Mount Kudriavy, an active volcano home to one of the world’s few commercially viable deposits of rhenium — an extremely rare transition metal with an exceptionally high melting point.
Rhenium is essential for manufacturing high-temperature superalloys used in modern jet engines, industrial gas turbines, and aerospace components. The islands also hold deposits of gold, silver, titanium, and sulfur.
What next
Putin’s visit to Iturup occurs against a backdrop of shifting alliances across the broader Asia-Pacific region.
The day prior to Putin’s arrival on Iturup, North Korea — a close partner of Moscow — fired a ballistic missile into waters off the Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang recently denounced Japan’s expanding defence expenditures, characterising Tokyo’s national security strategy as a “transformation into a war state.”
Meanwhile, North Korea has provided military equipment, artillery shells, and personnel to support Russia’s war effort in Europe.
At the same time, Moscow and Beijing have expanded joint naval and air patrols in the Sea of Japan and Western Pacific, directly challenging the regional posture of the United States and its key allies, Japan and South Korea.
For Moscow, holding the Kuril Islands provides a key strategic buffer against the US-Japan defence alliance.
Russian security planners have long worried that if any of the islands were returned to Japan, Article 5 of the US-Japan Security Treaty could allow Washington to deploy military personnel, radar stations, or anti-missile systems onto former Russian territory.
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With inputs from agencies