Overview
- Last week Vladimir Putin toured Etorofu, one of four islands disputed by Japan and Russia, prompting Tokyo to lodge a formal protest and summon Russia’s ambassador in Tokyo.
- Moscow responded by summoning Japan’s ambassador in Moscow, who met with Russian officials for about 20 minutes as Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin warned Russia reserves the right to take appropriate countermeasures.
- Japanese leaders publicly reiterated that the islands are part of Japan, and senior foreign ministry officials have privately discussed tougher sanctions or a temporary recall of Japan’s ambassador without announcing major new measures.
- The dispute highlights the islands’ strategic value to Russia’s Pacific Fleet, access to the Sea of Okhotsk and rich fishing grounds, and follows Moscow’s post‑2022 military reinforcement of the Kurils.
- The episode could push Tokyo closer to deeper ties with Ukraine and its Western partners or harden regional security postures, while the long‑standing territorial deadlock continues to block a formal postwar peace treaty.