Russia blasts Japan over Putin’s Kuril visit

MOSCOW: Russia has strongly condemned recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi concerning President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Iturup Island.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described Tokyo’s criticism as unacceptable and rejected Japan’s objections to Putin visiting the island, which Moscow considers part of Russian territory.

Zakharova accused senior Japanese officials of attempting to dictate where the Russian president could travel within his own country.

She said Moscow regarded the Japanese statements as politically motivated and legally invalid, arguing that Russia’s sovereignty over the southern Kuril Islands was not open to question.

The dispute over the islands remains one of the most sensitive issues in Russia-Japan relations. Japan refers to the southern islands as the Northern Territories and maintains its own claim over them.

Zakharova said Tokyo’s current approach reflected what she called an increasingly hostile policy towards Russia. She criticised Japan for joining Western sanctions against Moscow and for providing political, military and technical support to Ukraine.

According to the Russian spokeswoman, these policies have seriously damaged bilateral relations that had been developed over decades.

She also accused Japan of undermining international legal principles while attempting to lecture Moscow on international law and the future of bilateral relations.

Zakharova further argued that Japan’s policies did not serve the interests of its own population or contribute to regional stability.

Moscow maintains that the southern Kuril Islands became part of the Soviet Union following the Second World War and argues that their status was established through post-war agreements.

The Russian official also accused Tokyo of reviving what she described as revisionist and revanchist narratives.

She warned that such rhetoric could have wider consequences for peace and security across the Asia-Pacific region.

Russia said the latest Japanese statements risked further damaging already strained relations between the two countries and ran counter to broader regional efforts to promote stability, cooperation and peace.