Asia & Pacific
The island, known in Russia as Iturup and in Japan as Etorofu, is one of four in the Kuril chain close to Japan's main islands seized by Moscow in the days after Japan's surrender in World War Two. Tokyo has maintained its claim to them, making their return a condition for concluding a formal peace treaty that would unlock closer economic ties.
Russian President Vladimir Putin observes a military drill of the Pacific fleet on board the missile cruiser “Varyag”, in Russia's far eastern Sakhalin Region, Russia, August 12, 2026. (Reuters/Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov)
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a disputed island close to Japan on Thursday prompting a strong condemnation from Tokyo, which said his actions had made any improvement of relations between the countries difficult.The island, known in Russia as Iturup and in Japan as Etorofu, is one of four in the Kuril chain close to Japan's main islands seized by Moscow in the days after Japan's surrender in World War Two. Tokyo has maintained its claim to them, making their return a condition for concluding a formal peace treaty that would unlock closer economic ties.
It "hurts the feelings of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable," Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a televised statement. "We hope that the Russian side will take the seriousness of this matter fully to heart," she added.
