Analysts have noted that, in his comments, Putin emphasised the need for Russia to ‘guarantee security’ along ‘all its borders and across all its territories’. “This is a noteworthy statement in the context of frequent Russian air operations, which are forcing Japan to scramble aircraft in response, as stated in the ‘White Paper’.” Takai strongly condemned Putin’s visit to the island of Etorofu (as Iturup is known in Japan – ed.) and reaffirmed Japan’s territorial claims to the Kuril Islands,” the report states.
13 August: According to the Kremlin press service, Putin visited the Kuril island of Iturup; this was his first visit to the Kuril Islands.
In particular, 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. Japan expressed its “strong protest” over Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s visit to one of the islands of the Southern Kuril chain, which Tokyo regards as its occupied territories.
Since the end of the Second World War, Russia and Japan have never signed a peace treaty. The sovereignty of the four southern Kuril Islands remains a contentious issue.
Following the start of Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Japan imposed sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior officials, and revoked Russia’s most-favoured-nation trade status. At the same time, Japan announced that it would provide military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Russia placed Japan on its list of ‘unfriendly countries’ and stated that it was freezing negotiations on a peace treaty.
In March 2022, Tokyo announced that it would officially refer to the Southern Kuril Islands as “inherent territory of Japan under illegal occupation”.
The USSR annexed the Kuril Islands following the end of the Second World War. In 1956, the Soviet Union and Japan signed a peace declaration under which Shikotan and Habomai were to be transferred to Japan following the conclusion of a peace treaty. However, in the years that followed, the Japanese authorities would only agree to the return of all the islands. The treaty has still not been signed.
The Kuril Islands are currently part of Russia’s Sakhalin Oblast. Japan maintains that the southern islands of the Kuril chain – Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai – should belong to it under the 1855 Treaty on Trade and Boundaries.