Japan is preparing a response to Putin's visit to the Kuril Islands — NNK
Tokyo plans to consider countermeasures following Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s visit to one of the Kuril Islands. Japan considers the archipelago to be its own territory, which Russia also claims.
Tokyo is considering that one possible response to Putin’s visit could be to tighten sanctions against Russia. The publication notes that Japan has already imposed restrictions on Moscow alongside its international partners in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
NNK notes that Japan refers to four islands as the Northern Territories. Tokyo considers them an integral part of its territory and asserts that they were illegally occupied by Russia after World War II.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that Putin’s visit to Iturup contradicts the Japanese government’s position. According to her, the islands “are an integral part of Japan’s territory in light of historical facts and international law.”
She also emphasized that the Russian dictator’s visit “harms public sentiment among the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable.”
Takaichi noted that Putin’s trip could complicate the restoration of relations between Japan and Russia in the medium and long term.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned Russian Ambassador to Tokyo Nikolai Nozdrev to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the meeting, Motegi expressed strong protest over Putin’s visit. He stated that the Russian president’s unilateral trip would have an extremely negative impact on bilateral relations.
The Japanese minister asked the Russian ambassador to immediately convey these positions to the Russian government.
Source: NNK
As a reminder, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin visited Iturup Island in the Kuril Islands—which is the subject of a territorial dispute between Russia and Japan—for the first time. Tokyo has already reacted to the Russian leader’s visit and lodged a strong protest with Moscow.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claimed that Russians supposedly possess a “genetic code of a winner.”
Medvedev threatened Japan with dire consequences over the Kuril Islands.
