Putin stepped on Japan's most sensitive point - Moscow and Tokyo in collision

Putin's visit to Iturup, one of the four disputed islands, sparked a sharp confrontation between Russia and Japan. Tokyo summoned the Russian ambassador and filed an official protest, while Moscow called Japan's response "insulting" and lacking legal validity. The territorial dispute has persisted since 1945 and has prevented a peace treaty.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Iturup Island, one of the four islands disputed between Russia and Japan, ignited a sharp confrontation between the two countries. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called the visit "absolutely unacceptable" and said it "hurts the feelings of the Japanese people." Tokyo summoned Russia's ambassador and filed a formal protest. Moscow responded harshly, calling Ishiba's remarks "insulting" and "devoid of any legal validity," and claimed that Japan is trying to "dictate to Moscow which areas of its own country its leader may or may not visit." Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reiterated Russia's position that all the Kuril Islands are an integral part of Russia. The territorial dispute has continued since the end of World War II, when the Soviet Union took control of the islands in 1945. Japan calls them the "Northern Territories" and demands their return. The dispute has prevented the signing of a formal peace treaty between the two countries. Relations have deteriorated further since Japan joined Western sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.