Putin visits Kuril Islands, sparks Japan’s fury
President Vladimir Putin visited Russia’s far-eastern Kuril Islands for the first time on Aug. 13, prompting protests by Japan, which also claims the territory.
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.
The Kremlin posted a video of Putin on one of the Kurils’ four main islands, with Russian media saying he visited a fish-processing plant and was given caviar.
It was the first visit by a Russian president since Dmitry Medvedev in 2010.
