Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned Russian Ambassador to Tokyo Nikolai Nozdrev today to express a "categorical protest" against Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to the Kuril Islands. Putin visited Iturup Island on August 13, BTA reports.
“After learning that Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup Island on August 13, we summoned Russian Ambassador Nikolai Nozdryov to the Foreign Ministry and lodged a strong protest“, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Putin's visit came amid a long-standing territorial dispute between Moscow and Tokyo over the Kuril Islands, which Japan calls the “Northern Territories“ and also considers its own. The dispute remains one of the main problems in relations between the two countries.
The Russian president's visits have sparked a sharp reaction from the Japanese authorities. Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the visit “completely unacceptable“ and said it contradicted Japan's consistent position on the islands.