Putin Visits Iturup Island, Japan Urgently Summons Russian Ambassador in Protest

 

Kyodo News: Russian Ambassador to Japan Summoned by Japan's Foreign Ministry Over Putin’s Visit to the Kuril Islands

Tokyo, August 13 — TASS

According to Kyodo News, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Nikolai Kozlov, Russia’s ambassador to Tokyo, following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Iturup Island. The Russian Embassy in Japan told TASS that it would issue an official statement on the matter later.

Previously, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi issued a statement expressing “strong protest” against Russia and emphasized that all of the “Northern Territories” (Japan’s term for the southern part of the Kuril Islands), including Iturup Island, are “indisputably Japan’s inherent territory,” both historically and legally. Prime Minister Satsuki Eda also voiced the same position, stating that Putin’s visit to Iturup Island would further complicate the process of normalizing Japan-Russia relations.

On August 13, Putin made his first-ever visit to the Kuril Islands. Prior to this, Russian heads of state and government had visited the islands five times. Four of these visits were conducted by Dmitry Medvedev: as president in 2010, and as prime minister in 2012, 2015, and 2019. Putin’s trip quickly became the top trending topic on Japanese social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter) in Japan, and dominated headlines across major Japanese news websites.

Since the mid-20th century, Moscow and Tokyo have been engaged in negotiations over concluding a peace treaty based on the outcomes of World War II, with the sovereignty dispute over the southern Kuril Islands remaining a key obstacle. After the war, the entire island chain was incorporated into the Soviet Union, but Japan disputes Russia’s claim to Iturup Island, Kunashir Island, Shikotan Island, and a group of small uninhabited islets. The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stressed that Russia’s sovereignty over these territories is firmly grounded in international law and is unquestionable.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1873402384913411/

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