Putin angers Japan with visit to islands seized by Soviet Union in WWII

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the Russian leader's visit “wounds the feelings” of the Japanese people and further hardens anti-Russian sentiment in her country.

By Sammy Westfall

Vladimir Putin's first visit to disputed Pacific islands draws Tokyo protest

The four southernmost islands of the chain also are claimed by Japan, which calls them the Northern Territories.

By The Associated Press

"Russia uses the same imperial playbook everywhere": Kyiv condemns Putin's visit to Kuril Islands

Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has commented on Vladimir Putin's visit to Iturup, known in Japan as Etorofu, describing Russia's control of the island as an occupation of Japanese territory and calling on international partners to further isolate and increase pressure on Russia.

By Viktoriia Shabranska

Japan protests Putin's first visit to disputed islands

President Vladimir Putin visited Russia's far-eastern Kuril islands for the first time on Thursday, prompting protests by Japan which also claims the territory.

By FRANCE24

Japan Protests Putin's First Visit To Disputed Islands

Russian-Japanese relations have long been dogged by the contested islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and seized by the Soviet Union in 1945.

For decades, Putin has offered Japan a compromise on the Kuril Islands. So why, on his first visit to the islands this week, did he talk about Russians’ ‘genetic code of winners’ instead?

Since taking power, Vladimir Putin has pursued a peace treaty with Japan, asserting Russia’s sovereignty over the islands while saying he is willing to negotiate on the basis of the 1956 declaration. Japan and Russia have also developed economic ties, including in the Kuril Islands.

Sybiha condemns Putin's visit to Etorofu, expresses Ukraine's solidarity with Japan

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned Vladimir Putin's provocative visit to the Japanese island of Etorofu and expressed Ukraine's solidarity with Japan.