Japan has lodged a “strong protest” over Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s visit to one of the islands in the Southern Kuril chain, which Tokyo regards as its occupied territories. This was reported by Kyodo News, citing a statement from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the Kremlin press service, Putin visited the Kuril island of Iturup; this was his first visit to the Kuril Islands.
Putin visited the ‘Yasny’ fish-processing plant, the Kuril Central District Hospital and a school, and met with Valery Limarenko, Governor of the Sakhalin Region.