Tokyo: Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a disputed island close to Japan on Thursday prompting a strong condemnation from Tokyo, which said his actions had made any improvement of relations between the countries difficult.
The island, known in Russia as Iturup and in Japan as Etorofu, is one of four in the Kuril chain close to Japan's main islands seized by Moscow in the days after Japan's surrender in World War Two. Tokyo has maintained its claim to them, making their return a condition for concluding a formal peace treaty that would unlock closer economic ties.
