Russia summons Japanese ambassador after Putin visits disputed Kuril Islands

Diplomatic clash over island inspection

Russian President Vladimir Putin conducted his first personal visit to the disputed Kuril Islands on 13 August 2026, inspecting facilities on the island of Iturup, known in Japan as Etorofu. Putin toured a local school, a hospital, and industrial sites following stops across Siberia and the island of Sakhalin. The inspection occurred two days before the 81st anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II on 15 August 1945. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi responded with a statement on social media, describing Putin's visit as "absolutely unacceptable" and reaffirming that Tokyo considers the archipelago to be "inherently Japanese territory." The Russian Foreign Ministry rejected the protest, asserting that the islands form an "integral part" of Russia and calling Tokyo's language offensive and indignant.

Summons of envoy Akira Muto

The dispute escalated into reciprocal diplomatic actions after Japan summoned the Russian ambassador in Tokyo on 13 August 2026. Moscow responded by summoning Japanese ambassador Akira Muto to the Russian Foreign Ministry. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Japanese officials had crossed acceptable boundaries in their criticism, though Tokyo initially delayed Muto's appearance on grounds of travel or illness.

We were told either that he was not in Moscow or that he was unwell. We did not quite understand the situation.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova subsequently told the TASS news agency that Muto would attend the ministry on Tuesday, 18 August 2026. Lavrov explained that the meeting is intended to address the conduct of the Japanese leadership and review how diplomatic envoys should behave in their host country.

Postwar territorial dispute

The four disputed islands, referred to by Japan as the Northern Territories, were occupied by Soviet military forces in late August 1945, two weeks after the formal surrender of Japan. Over the following twelve months, approximately 17,300 Japanese residents were forced to leave the archipelago. Tokyo has maintained across successive administrations that the Soviet Union annexed the territory unlawfully, preventing the two countries from concluding a formal World War II peace treaty. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Japan sought diplomatic openings through economic assistance packages and proposals for joint regional development. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held multiple direct negotiations with Putin to resolve the status of the islands, but Russia codified a ban on ceding any national territory through constitutional amendments in 2020.

Geopolitical fallout since 2022

Bilateral relations between Tokyo and Moscow deteriorated further after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Japan aligned its policy with Group of Seven partners, imposing economic sanctions on Russia, supplying non-lethal defense equipment to Kyiv, and expanding joint military drills with the United States. James Brown, a professor of international relations specializing in Russian affairs at Temple University's Tokyo campus, noted that the inspection reflects Russian dissatisfaction with Japan's security alignments in Europe.

Russia has been angered by Japan's support for Ukraine and for the closer ties that Tokyo has been building with European members of NATO.

Brown added that the visit serves a domestic purpose within Russia by reinforcing patriotic sentiment across different political factions.