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Japan Strongly Protests Vladimir Putin's First Visit to Disputed Kuril Islands

evening · · thread: President Putin Makes First Visit to Disputed Etorofu Island

19 sources across 14 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state

Who reported this

  • The Guardian United Kingdom · Centre-left · Scott Trust Limited
  • BBC News United Kingdom · Centre · Public · Licence fee, royal charter
  • Financial Times United Kingdom · Centre · Nikkei Inc.
  • Der Spiegel Germany · Centre-left · ~50% staff-owned
  • Deutsche Welle Germany · Centre · Public · German federal public-law corporation
  • Asahi Shimbun Japan · Centre-left · Asahi Shimbun Company (family and employee held)
  • Kyodo News Japan · Centre · Non-profit publisher cooperative
  • CNN United States · Centre-left · Warner Bros. Discovery
  • Associated Press United States · Centre · Non-profit news cooperative
  • La Nacion Argentina · Centre-right · Saguier family
  • Politico Europe Belgium · Centre · Axel Springer SE
  • France 24 France · Centre · Public · France Medias Monde (French state holding)
  • South China Morning Post Hong Kong · Centre-right · Alibaba Group
  • Telex Hungary · Centre · Reader-funded, staff-owned
  • The Jakarta Post Indonesia · Centre-left · PT Bina Media Tenggara
  • Meduza Latvia · Centre-left · Crowdfunded; exiled Russian newsroom
  • Al Jazeera Qatar · Centre-left · State-affiliated · Qatari government funded
  • El Pais Spain · Centre-left · Grupo PRISA
  • Neue Zuercher Zeitung Switzerland · Centre-right · Dispersed shareholders, no controlling stake

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Kuril Islands for the first time on Thursday, prompting a strong protest from the Japanese government. Putin traveled to the island of Iturup, known in Japan as Etorofu, where he visited a fish processing plant, a hospital, and a school. Russian state media reported that he sampled local fish roe and spoke with residents. The visit occurred after Putin oversaw Pacific Fleet naval drills on the nearby Russian island of Sakhalin.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the visit as absolutely unacceptable and stated that it wounds the feelings of the Japanese people. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned the Russian ambassador to lodge a formal protest, asserting that the Northern Territories, as Japan calls the four southernmost islands, are inherently Japanese territory both historically and under international law. The islands were seized by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II, and the resulting territorial dispute has prevented Moscow and Tokyo from signing a formal peace treaty.

Bilateral relations have remained strained since Japan joined other G7 nations in imposing sanctions on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Putin characterized these sanctions as unprovoked and claimed that Russia does not threaten Japan, while noting that Japan maintains territorial claims against Russia. The Kuril archipelago is strategically significant for Russia, which has increased its military presence in the region over the last decade.

Some reports provide additional context regarding the timing of the trip. One source notes that the visit occurred shortly before Japan marked 81 years since its surrender in World War II and followed a missile launch by North Korea. Another report suggests the trip is part of a broader effort by Putin to visit Russian provinces to address declining approval ratings and domestic dissatisfaction ahead of September parliamentary elections.

How each side framed it

Centre-left
These outlets emphasized the provocative nature of the visit and the negative impact on international relations.
Centre
These outlets focused on the diplomatic friction and the historical context of the territorial dispute.
Centre-right
These outlets highlighted the geopolitical determination of the Kremlin and the strategic implications of the visit.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.