Japan weighs new Russia sanctions after Putin visits disputed Kurils

Japan is considering possible countermeasures following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Iturup Island, one of the southern Kurils claimed by Tokyo, NHK reported.

According to the broadcaster, one option under consideration is tightening existing sanctions against Russia. Analysts interviewed by NHK, however, warned that additional measures could further complicate already strained relations between the two countries.

Putin visited the Yasny fish-processing plant on Iturup during a trip to Sakhalin Region.

Japan’s Foreign Ministry responded by lodging a strong protest with Moscow over the Russian president’s visit. In its statement, the ministry reiterated Tokyo’s position that four islands in the Kuril chain constitute Japan’s “Northern Territories.”

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi subsequently said that “the Northern Territories are historically and legally an integral part of our country.” She also said Putin’s visit was “inconsistent with Japan’s consistent position on the Northern Territories.”

Takaichi added that relations between Japan and Russia are currently in a “very difficult situation.”

The territorial dispute centres on four southern Kuril islands — Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai islets — which Japan claims, citing the 1855 Treaty of Commerce and Navigation and Delimitation.

Moscow rejects Tokyo’s claims, maintaining that the Southern Kurils became part of the Soviet Union as a result of World War II and that Russia’s sovereignty over the islands is supported by international law and is not subject to question.

By Tamilla Hasanova