Japan summons Russian ambassador after Putin visits disputed Kuril islands

Cover image: Pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, President Vladimir Putin greets officers onboard the Russian Navy's guided missile cruiser Varyag on far eastern Sakhalin Island on August 13, 2026. © Gavriil Grigorov, AFP (Pool)

Japan’s foreign minister summoned the Russian ambassador in Tokyo to lodge a “strong protest” against President Vladimir Putin’s surprise visit to the Kuril islands on Thursday. Tokyo maintains its claim to the disputed islands near Japan's northernmost Hokkaido island since they were seized by the Soviet Union in 1945.

President Vladimir Putin visited Russia's far-eastern Kuril islands for the first time on Thursday, prompting protests by Japan, which also claims the territory.