Now Reading: Putin visits disputed Kuril Islands as Russia-Japan ties sour
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Putin visits disputed Kuril Islands as Russia-Japan ties sour
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, one of the four Kuril Islands claimed by Japan, for the first time on Thursday. The trip came a day after he oversaw Pacific Fleet military…
The Story in Brief
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, one of the four Kuril Islands claimed by Japan, for the first time on Thursday. The trip came a day after he oversaw Pacific Fleet military exercises in Russia's Far East and as North Korea fired a ballistic missile.
Japan has protested the visit. Foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the islands are Japan's 'inherent territory', The Times of India reports. The dispute, dating to World War II, has prevented a formal peace treaty. Tensions have worsened since Russia's 2022 Ukraine invasion, with Japan imposing sanctions and Russia suspending peace talks.
The Indian Opinion
The Putin visit is being spun as a flex against Japan and the West, but it is also a reminder of how the Ukraine war has frozen a dispute that Japan once hoped to settle. Tokyo's sanctions were principled, but they have handed Russia an excuse to stall and militarise. The real test: will Japan continue its hard line, or quietly resume the dialogue that Shinzo Abe once pursued? Numbers, like the 20,000 Russian residents versus the 17,000 deported Japanese, will not change without a deal.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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