Putin's visit to disputed island draws outrage in Japan

Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to one of the Kuril Islands, a disputed chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean, drew outrage from Japan, which claims them.

The Kuril Islands became part of the Russian Federation after World War II, though Japan maintains a claim on several of the islands, including Iturup, which Putin visited this week.

"Today, I was informed that Russian President Putin visited Iturup Island," Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said in a statement. "The Northern Territories, including Iturup Island, are inherently Japanese territory both historically and under international law, and the Government of Japan strongly protests this visit."

Putin's visit to the islands marked his first trip there while in office and came as part of his trip to observe the Russian fleet in the Pacific conduct military exercises on the larger Sakhalin Island, according to Visegrad24.

Prior to Putin's visit, Dmitri Medvedev was the only Russian president to visit the island chain. He made the trip in 2010.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.