Japan weighs tougher sanctions on Russia after Putin's visit to disputed island
Russian President Vladimir Putin (photo: Getty Images)
Tokyo plans to consider countermeasures in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to one of the islands in the Kuril archipelago, which is disputed between Japan and Russia, according to NHK.
Tokyo is considering tougher sanctions against Russia as one possible measure in response to Putin's trip. The media outlet notes that Japan has already imposed restrictions on Moscow together with international partners over Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
NHK notes that Japan refers to four islands as the Northern Territories. Tokyo considers them an integral part of its territory and says they were illegally occupied by Russia after World War II.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that Putin's visit to Iturup contradicts the position of the Japanese government. According to her, the islands "are an inherent territory of Japan in light of historical facts and based on international law."
She also stressed that the Russian president's visit "hurts the public sentiment of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable."
Takaichi noted that Putin's trip could complicate the restoration of relations between Japan and Russia in the medium and long term.
Japan summoned the Russian ambassador
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned Russian Ambassador to Tokyo Nikolay Nozdrev to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the meeting, Motegi expressed a strong protest over Putin's visit. He said that the Russian president's unilateral trip would have an extremely negative impact on bilateral relations.
The Japanese minister asked the Russian ambassador to convey these positions to the Russian government immediately.
Territorial dispute
In 2022, Russia announced that it was ending peace treaty negotiations with Japan after Tokyo imposed sanctions on Moscow over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The talks also concerned the territorial issue involving the disputed islands.
At the same time, the Japanese government continues to maintain contacts with Russia despite the war against Ukraine. Last month, Motegi briefly spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Philippines.
Analysts expect already strained relations between Japan and Russia to deteriorate further.
On August 13, Putin visited Iturup Island, which Japan considers its territory. This sparked outrage from the international community and Ukraine in particular.
