Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the Kuril Islands on Thursday, 13 August 2026, travelling to the Pacific chain that Japan also claims and prompting an immediate protest from Tokyo.
The Russian president went to Kurilsk on Iturup, the largest island in the chain, where he met the regional governor and toured a fish-processing plant, a hospital and a school, as reported by Al Jazeera.
He had never set foot there before.
Why the Putin Kuril Islands visit angered Tokyo
Japan asserts territorial rights over the four southernmost islands of the chain, which it calls the Northern Territories. Soviet forces seized them in 1945, in the closing stage of the Second World War, and the islands have remained a source of friction between Moscow and Tokyo ever since.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the visit as “absolutely unacceptable” and said it “offends the sentiments of the Japanese people”.
Her objection rested on the position Tokyo has maintained since the islands changed hands, and she put it directly.
“This visit … by the sitting Russian president goes against Japan’s consistent position on the Northern Territories,” Takaichi said.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also criticised the trip, casting the dispute as a question of law rather than sentiment.
His wording matched the formula Tokyo has used consistently in its dealings with Moscow over the disputed chain.
“[The islands] are an inherent part of Japan’s territory both historically and under international law,” Motegi said.
What makes the Kuril Islands worth holding?
The chain runs from Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula down to Hokkaido, Japan’s northern island.
The four disputed isles are known in Russia as Kunashir, Habomai, Shikotan and Iturup, and in Japan as Kunashiri, Habomai, Shikotan and Etorofu. About 20 000 Russian citizens live there in a harsh climate.
The islands hold mineral deposits including gold and silver, and the surrounding waters are rich fishing grounds.
After Soviet forces took control in 1945, Moscow deported about 17 000 Japanese residents. The chain gained further weight in the Cold War, supplying air and sea bases as Moscow confronted Washington and Tokyo.
Where the Putin Kuril Islands visit leaves Moscow and Tokyo
Relations between the two capitals have deteriorated since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Japan joined other G7 countries in sanctioning Russia, and it has sent money and non-lethal defence aid to Kyiv.
Putin addressed those measures on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, describing Japan’s sanctions as “unprovoked”.
He was speaking on Sakhalin, the Russian island he visited a day earlier, where the navy was running drills and he chaired a meeting on securing Russia’s eastern borders.
“Japan has identified Russia as a main source of threats. I would like to point out that we are not threatening Japan … On the contrary, it has territorial claims against our country,” Putin said.
The trip was not the first of its kind. Dmitry Medvedev became the first Russian leader to visit the disputed territory as president in 2010, and returned several times as prime minister.
Neither government has signalled a move to reopen talks, and the four islands look set to stay disputed.
