Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited the far-eastern Kuril Islands for the first time, state media reported on Thursday, drawing anger from Japan.
Japan has long claimed ownership of four of the Kuril Islands — including the one reportedly visited by Putin — which were seized by the Soviet Union toward the end of World War II. Iturup/Etorofu has a harsh climate, but mineral deposits and good fishing groundsImage: Sergei Krasnoukhov/TASS/picture alliance
What is the dispute over the Kuril Islands?
During his trip, Putin visited a fish-processing plant on the island — known as Iturup in Russian and Etorofu in Japanese — where he was given caviar, Russian media reported.
The island belongs to four that are known in Japan as the Northern Territories and that are now Russian-occupied following their takeover by the Soviet Union in 1945.
