Putin Visits Disputed Kuril Islands, Sparking Strong Protest From Japan

Edited
by:
Rob
Tu e

Russia
P eside t
Vladimi
Puti
has
visited
the
fa -easte
Ku il
Isla ds
fo
the
fi st
time,
state
media
epo ted
o
Thu sday,
d awi g
a ge
f om
Japa .

Japa
has
lo g
claimed
ow e ship
of
fou
of
the
Ku il
Isla ds,
i cludi g
the
o e
epo tedly
visited
by
Puti ,
which
the
Soviet
U io
seized
towa d
the
e d
of
Wo ld
Wa
II.

What
is
the
dispute
ove
the
Ku il
Isla ds?

Du i g
his
t ip,
Puti
visited
a
fish-p ocessi g
pla t
o
the
isla d,
k ow
as
Itu up
i
Russia
a d
Eto ofu
i
Japa ese,
whe e
he
was
give
cavia ,
Russia
media
epo ted.

The
isla d
belo gs
to
fou
that
a e
k ow
i
Japa
as
the
No the
Te ito ies
a d
that
a e
ow
Russia -occupied
followi g
the
Soviet
U io ‘s
takeove
i
1945.

At
that
time,
Moscow
depo ted
thei
Japa ese
populatio
of
about
17,000
people,
with
the
isla ds
ow
i habited
by
some
20,000
Russia
citize s.

The
u esolved
dispute
was
o e
of
the
key
easo s
why
Moscow
a d
Tokyo
eve
sig ed
a
fo mal
Wo ld
Wa
II
peace
t eaty.

Russia -Japa ese
elatio s
have
si ce
suffe ed
a othe
majo
blow
followi g
Russia’s
full-scale
i vasio
of
Uk ai e
lau ched
i
2022.

The
volca ic
Ku il
a chipelago
u s
i
a
a c
f om
Russia’s
Kamchatka
pe i sula
dow
to
Japa ‘s
mai
o the
isla d
of
Hokkaido.

What
has
Japa
said
about
Puti ‘s
visit?

I
a
stateme t
o
Thu sday,
Japa ‘s
fo eig
mi iste ,
Toshimitsu
Motegi,
exp essed
Tokyo’s
g eat
displeasu e
at
Puti ‘s
visit.

“The
No the
Te ito ies
…
a e
a
i he e t
pa t
of
Japa ‘s
te ito y
both
histo ically
a d
u de
i te atio al
law,
a d
the
gove me t
of
Japa
st o gly
p otests
this
visit,”
the
stateme t
said.

St ategically-located
Ku il
Isla ds

The
isla ds
have
seldom
bee
visited
by
Russia
leade s,
with
the -P eside t
Dmit y
Medvedev
i
2010
becomi g
the
fi st
to
t avel
to
the
disputed
te ito y.

Medvedev
also
we t
the e
i
2015
as
p ime
mi iste .

Puti ‘s
visit
to
the
Ku ils
came
afte
he
visited
the
ea by
Russia
isla d
of
Sakhali ,
whe e
Russia’s
avy
was
co ducti g
d ills.

The
isla ds
had
co side able
st ategic
impo ta ce
fo
the
Soviet
U io ,
which
kept
a
la ge
milita y
p ese ce
the e
du i g
the
Cold
Wa
amid
te sio s
with
the
US
a d
Japa .

Talks
o
the
te ito ial
issue
that
have
bee
held
si ce
the
fall
of
the
Soviet
U io
i
1991
have
so
fa
bo e
o
f uit.

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o


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a a geme t.
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