Japan protests when Putin visits the islands claimed by Japan for the first time

Russian media reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin had visited Iturup. It is a Japanese-claimed island near Hokkaido at the end Kuril chain.

Moscow and Tokyo did not sign a formal peace treaty after World War Two because the major obstacle was an unresolved territorial dispute over the islands that Japan refers to as the Northern Territories.

After overseeing the Navy drills in Russia's Far East, he visited a fish processing plant called Yasny on Iturup.

Japan's 'foreign Minister' protested against Putin’s visit on X.

Toshimitsu motegi said, "The northern territory, including Etorofu is Japan's inherent territorial both historically and according to international law." "Japan strongly condemns this visit."

Vesti TV images showed Putin, dressed in a dark suit and standing in a large room, looking at two large tunas and halibuts on a dining table. Two officials were talking about the migration of fish and fishing. He stopped to taste the local fish roe.

"What lovely weather you have there! It's like a resort!" Putin said to a group Iturup residents. "And we thought that you had arranged this!" A woman in her 30s laughed back.

The visit comes after a missile was fired by North Korea on Wednesday, towards waters near the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula. This came days before major military exercises between Seoul and Washington, which Pyongyang has long criticized. Reporting by Jekaterina Glubkova, Kiyoshi TAKENAKA and Kantaro KOMIYA in Tokyo. Editing by Jacqueline Wong & Clarence Fernandez.

(source: Reuters)