MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin visited Russia’s far-eastern Kuril islands for the first time on Thursday, 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 four main islands, with Russian media saying he visited a fish-processing plant and showing him trying local caviar. It was the first visit by a Russian president since Dmitry Medvedev in 2010.

The four southernmost islands of the chain also are claimed by Japan, which calls them the Northern Territories.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, an island in the disputed Kuril Islands chain claimed by both Russia and Japan, state news agency TASS said on Thursday. The…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited the disputed Kuril Islands for the first time, travelling to Iturup as Moscow's relations with Japan remain deeply strained over…

Putin visits Etorofu, known in Russia as Iturup, that Tokyo claims as its own territory