Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to a disputed island near Japan has brought a long-running territorial disagreement back into the spotlight, with Tokyo issuing a strong protest and Moscow refusing to back down.
Putin visited Iturup, known as Etorofu in Japan, one of the four Kuril Islands claimed by both Russia and Japan. His trip comes at a particularly sensitive moment, as tensions between Moscow and Tokyo remain strained over Russia’s war in Ukraine and the two countries’ unresolved territorial dispute.
