By Anthony Marcus, correspondent. Eurasia Business News, August 14, 2026. Article n°3090
The Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands on August 14, 2026, prompting a strong diplomatic protest from Japan. The trip to the Russian-controlled territory, known in Japan as the Northern Territories, further strained relations already damaged by Russia’s war in Ukraine and Tokyo’s sanctions against Moscow.
Putin visited one of the four disputed islands after travelling to Sakhalin, where he attended meetings on the security of Russia’s eastern borders and observed nearby naval exercises. Russian media reported that Putin visited a fish-processing facility and was presented with caviar during the trip.
Japan Condemns Putin’s Kuril Islands Visit
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the visit was “absolutely unacceptable” and offended the sentiments of the Japanese people. She reiterated Tokyo’s position that the Northern Territories are an inherent part of Japan, both historically and under international law.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned Russian Ambassador Nikolai Nozdrev to issue a formal protest. Motegi warned that Putin’s visit would have an “extremely negative impact” on Japan-Russia relations, which remain unresolved more than eight decades after the end of World War II.
The dispute centres on four islands: Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan and the Habomai islets. Japan refers to them as Kunashiri, Etorofu, Shikotan and Habomai. The islands lie north of Japan’s Hokkaido island and south of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi previously called the “northern territories” (the southern part of the Kuril Islands, including Etorofu) primordially Japanese territory from “historical and legal points of view.” In addition, Russian Ambassador Nikolai Nozdrev was summoned to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. He explained that the southern Kuril Islands are an integral part of Russia.
Why the Kuril Islands Remain Disputed
The Soviet Union seized the islands in the final days of World War II, after declaring war on Japan on August 8, 1945. Moscow subsequently deported the Japanese population, estimated at around 17,000 people, and established control over the territory.
Japan claims the islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai group of islands of the Kuril chain. Russia, on the other hand, believes that the Kuril Islands became part of it after World War II legally.
Japan has never accepted Russian sovereignty over the four islands. The dispute is the principal reason why Tokyo and Moscow have never signed a formal peace treaty ending their Second World War hostilities.
The islands hold strategic and economic value. They provide access to rich fishing grounds, have deposits of gold and silver, and offer a military position linking the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean. Russia has maintained a military presence on the islands since the Cold War, viewing them as important to the defense of its Far Eastern approaches.
Russia-Japan Relations Worsen
Vladimir Putin’s visit came amid an already difficult period in Russia-Japan relations. Ties deteriorated sharply after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Japan joined the G7 countries in imposing sanctions on Russia and has provided financial and non-lethal assistance to Ukraine. Moscow has responded by criticising Japan’s policies and reducing prospects for renewed territorial negotiations.
Putin described Japanese sanctions as “unprovoked” during his Sakhalin visit. He argued that Japan had identified Russia as a major security threat, while Moscow maintained that Japan continued to make territorial claims against Russia.
Wider Indo-Pacific Security Risks
The Kuril Islands dispute is now part of a broader regional security environment. Russia has strengthened military cooperation with China, including joint naval and air exercises near Japan. North Korea has also deepened its relationship with Moscow and has reportedly supplied troops and artillery shells for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
Japan’s latest defense white paper identifies growing security concerns linked to Russia, China and North Korea. Tokyo is responding with increased defense spending, closer cooperation with the United States and other regional partners, and stronger monitoring of activity near its northern and western borders.
Putin’s Kuril Islands visit therefore carries significance beyond the territorial dispute. It demonstrates Russia’s continued determination to assert sovereignty over the islands while signalling that Moscow is unlikely to make concessions to Japan amid wider geopolitical confrontation.
For Japan, the visit reinforces the long-standing challenge of balancing its territorial claim with a deteriorating regional security environment.
Our community already has nearly 300,000 readers!
Subscribe to our Telegram channel
Follow us on Telegram, Facebook and Twitter
© Copyright 2026 – Eurasia Business News. Article no. 3090
Eurasia Business News 