Putin’s first trip to the Pacific island chain claimed by Japan draws ire from Tokyo

INTERNATIONAL – ASIA

14 AUGUST 2026

Russia–Japan Kuril Islands Dispute

• Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup (Etorofu), one of the southern Kuril Islands, on 13 August 2026
• Russia has controlled the islands since the end of World War II and considers them Russian territory.
• Japan claims the four southernmost islands and calls them the Northern Territories.
• The four islands claimed by Japan are Iturup (Etorofu), Kunashir (Kunashiri), Shikotan and Habomai Islands.

History of the dispute

• At the end of World War II in 1945, the Soviet Union occupied the islands after Japan’s defeat.
• Japan has continued to dispute Russian sovereignty over the four southern islands.
• Because of this dispute, Russia and Japan never formally signed a peace treaty ending World War II hostilities between the two countries.