Vladimir Putin has made his first personal visit to the disputed island of Iturup, which is also claimed by Japan. Russia and Japan have not signed a peace treaty since the end of World War II, largely because of the dispute over the islands. With his visit, the Russian president now seeks to reaffirm the island’s status as part of Russia.
Iturup is one of the southern Kuril Islands. Japan calls the island Etorofu and likewise considers it part of its own territory. Tokyo therefore immediately lodged an official protest against Putin’s visit.
Putin’s itinerary did not include any official meetings. Instead, he spoke with local residents at a fish-processing plant.
Immediately beforehand, Putin observed a large-scale military exercise conducted by Russia’s Pacific Fleet. At the same time, Russia has been steadily strengthening its military presence in the Far East for years. It has deployed modern coastal missile systems on several of the Kuril Islands and is increasingly treating the region as part of a defensive line against the United States and its allies.
The eight-decade-old dispute that emerged between Russia and Japan following World War II concerns four islands: Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and the Habomai island group. Russia considers these islands part of the Kuril Islands and therefore Russian territory. Japan, by contrast, consistently refers to them as the “Northern Territories” and disputes their legal status as part of the Kuril Island chain.
Putin’s latest visit has therefore done more to intensify the dispute than to represent a step toward resolving it.
