Putin’s visit to the Southern Kuril Islands triggered protests in Japan, and territorial disputes between Russia and Japan continue

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Southern Kuril Islands (Kuril Islands) in Russia's Far East for the first time last Thursday (August 13). Since Japan has long claimed sovereignty over the area, Putin's visit also triggered "strong" protests from the Japanese government.

The Kuril Islands were captured by Soviet troops two weeks after Japan formally surrendered on August 15, 1945 and the end of World War II. Within a year, the island's 17,300 Japanese residents were forced to leave.

This time Putin landed on "Iturup Island" (called Etorupo Island in Japan), the largest island in the Southern Kuril Islands. This trip comes just two days before the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II and Japan’s surrender.

James Brown, a professor of international relations specializing in Russian affairs at Temple University's Tokyo campus, told DW that this is obviously a message sent to Japan. He said there was a clear intention to punish Japan because Russia was annoyed by Japan's support for Ukraine and Tokyo's growing proximity to European NATO members.

He also pointed out that there are domestic considerations for the move - such visits can spark patriotic sentiments among Russians across the political spectrum.

long-standing territorial disputes

Successive Japanese governments have consistently maintained that the islands were illegally annexed. The dispute has had such a profound impact on bilateral relations that the two countries have yet to sign a formal peace treaty.

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and subsequent economic difficulties had revived hopes in Japan that Moscow might return the islands in exchange for economic aid or even accept joint development of the area. The late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the most proactive Japanese leader on this issue. He met with Putin many times in an attempt to persuade the Russian leader to switch to Japan's thinking.

However, these diplomatic efforts ultimately came to nothing. Russia amended its constitution in 2020 to prohibit ceding any part of its territory to foreign countries. After Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia-Japan relations further deteriorated.

Tomoe Shigemura, a professor of political science at Tokyo's Waseda University, told DW that these latest developments are undoubtedly adding insult to injury for Japan's ambitions on the islands.

He said Tokyo had summoned the Russian ambassador and lodged a formal diplomatic protest, but sanctions surrounding the war in Ukraine had already taken effect and he believed it would be difficult for Japan to add more. Japan imports Russian energy, a channel that has become even more important because of the situation in Iran, which puts Tokyo in a relatively weak position, he added.

Putin is testing Japan

Tomoe Shigemura believes that Putin may be working with China and North Korea to try to attack Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi because she has taken a hard line on regional security issues.

He added that Putin was aware that Takahiro's domestic poll numbers were softening and probably judged the Japanese leader's response to be no stronger than a protest.

Shigemura also said Russia's revised constitution, coupled with growing nationalist sentiment fueled by official propaganda, had made it virtually "impossible" for the islands to return to Japanese control.

He said Putin may be in a bad situation right now, but he is working with China and North Korea to attack high markets with limited options; and even if Putin is no longer in office, the new Russian government will not have any interest in returning the islands.

Brown agrees. He said some "excitable commentators" in Japan would see Putin's eventual departure from the Kremlin as an opportunity, but whoever ultimately controls Russia is unlikely to cater to Japan's territorial claims.

He said that did not happen when the Soviet Union collapsed, nor during Russia's subsequent economic difficulties, so he did not think any new Russian leader would consider returning the islands.