Following Putin's visit, the U.S. reaffirmed Japan's sovereignty over the Kuril Islands
The United States reaffirmed its position on Japan’s sovereignty over the Northern Territories following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Iturup Island.
The American diplomat emphasized unwavering support for Japan and spoke out against any actions that could undermine peace and stability in the region.
“The United States remains steadfast in its support for its most important ally and in its recognition of Japan’s sovereignty over the Northern Territories,” Glass wrote on social media platform X.
According to him, the U.S. “firmly opposes any actions that undermine peace and stability” in the Indo-Pacific region.
Japan refers to four islands—Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and the Habomai group—as the Northern Territories. Tokyo considers them an integral part of its territory and claims that the Soviet Union illegally occupied the islands after World War II. The territorial dispute has remained one of the main issues in Japan-Russia relations for decades. In 2022, Moscow announced the suspension of peace treaty negotiations with Tokyo after Japan imposed sanctions on Russia in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This was stated by U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass.
As a reminder, Putin visited Iturup Island—which was taken from Japan—for the first time.
Prior to that, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin arrived on Sakhalin, where he observed the final stage of exercises by the Russian Pacific Fleet. During his stay in the region, he claimed there was an alleged increase in threats to Russia in the Asia-Pacific region and issued new threats against Western countries.
