Russia summoned the Japanese ambassador to protest Putin's visit to Etorofu
Russia, the aggressor state, summoned Japanese Ambassador Akira Muto following Tokyo’s protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Etorofu Island. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made this statement at a press conference, according to The Japan Times.
According to Lavrov, the ambassador was summoned immediately after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi lodged a protest over Putin’s trip to the island on Thursday. Etorofu is one of four islands east of Hokkaido controlled by Russia; in Japan, they are referred to as the Northern Territories.
The Russian state news agency TASS, citing Maria Zakharova, director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, reported that Muto is scheduled to arrive at the Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.
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Lavrov stated that the Japanese Embassy in Moscow had informed the ministry that the ambassador could not appear on Friday or Monday—the dates set by the ministry—without providing clear reasons. He called the situation unacceptable and a violation of diplomatic protocol. According to him, they plan to discuss with Muto Japan’s reaction to Putin’s visit to Etorofu, as well as the ambassadors’ fulfillment of their duties in their host countries.
Putin’s trip to Etorofu marked his first visit to any of the four disputed islands. Tokyo claims sovereignty over them, while Moscow has controlled these territories since the former Soviet Union seized them from Japan at the end of World War II. The day before, Putin observed Russian naval exercises in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and, according to the publication, stated that international documents confirm that the Kuril Islands belong to Russia.
