Russia’s Putin makes first visit to Kuril Islands claimed by Japan

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the far-eastern Kuril Islands for the first time on Thursday, prompting a “strong” protest by Japan which also claims the territory.Russian-Japanese relations have long been dogged by tensions over the contested islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and seized by the Soviet Union in 1945.The Kremlin posted a video of Putin in the Kuril Islands, with Russian media saying he visited a fish-processing plant where he was given caviar.Putin travelled to the Kurils after visiting the nearby Russian island of Sakhalin, where Russia’s navy was conducting drills.In Sakhalin, Putin held a meeting “on ensuring the security of Russia’s eastern borders”, RIA Novosti said.Japan, whose ties with Russia have worsened further since the full-scale Ukraine" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="143185" data-entity-type="event">Invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – just as Moscow’s relations with China and North Korea have warmed – objected strongly.