Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, listens to Sakhalin Region Governor Valery Limarenko in Kurilsk on the Iturup Island, the largest of the Kuril Islands of Russia's fareast, on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026.
Gavriil Grigorov/Pool Sputnik Kremlin
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MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday made his first visit to the Kuril Islands, a Moscow-controlled Pacific archipelago that also is claimed by Japan, which voiced a diplomatic protest over the trip.
Putin visited a fish plant, a hospital and a school on Iturup, one of the volcanic chain's southern islands. He also briefly spoke to local residents and met with the governor of Russia's Sakhalin region, Valery Limarenko.
Japan asserts territorial rights to the four southernmost islands of the chain, which it calls the Northern Territories. The Soviet Union took them from Japan in the final days of World War II, and the dispute kept the countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their hostilities.
Decades of diplomatic efforts to negotiate a settlement haven't produced any visible results. Moscow over the years has also bolstered its military presence on the Kurils in moves that appeared to underscore its firm stance in the dispute.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said his country "strongly protests" Putin's visit to Iturup, which Japan calls Etorofu.
"The Northern Territories, including Etorofu (Iturup) Island, are Japan's inherent territory both historically and from the perspective of international law," Motegi said in a statement.
He summoned Russian Ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev to the ministry in Tokyo and lodged a strong protest over the visit, requesting that he "promptly report the message back to Moscow," the minister told reporters afterward.
Later Thursday, the Russian Embassy in Japan called Tokyo's protest "unfounded" and said Nozdrev had explained that "the southern Kuril Islands are an integral part of the Russian Federation and became part of it following World War II on legitimate international grounds."
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, interacts with schoolchildren as he visits a secondary school named after Eduard Norpolov in Kurilsk on the Iturup Island, the largest of the Kuril Islands of Russia's far-east, on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026.
Gavriil Grigorov/Pool Sputnik Kremlin via AP
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Putin's travels are "sovereign decisions of the Russian leadership and can't be subject to discussion with foreign states," the statement added.
Japan also protested in 2021 when Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Iturup.
Putin in recent days has visited several regions in Siberia and the Far East. Before coming to Iturup, he stopped on Sakhalin Island to attend the final part of drills by Russia's Pacific Fleet.
Speaking aboard a warship that was participating in the naval exercises, Putin said Wednesday that the current status of the Kuril Islands "is enshrined in international documents as a reality that arose following the outcome of World War II."
"But even here, Russia was prepared to seek a solution with the goal of concluding a peace treaty with Japan," he said.