Washington reaffirmed that it recognizes the four Russian-administered islands as Japanese territory, while Tokyo condemned the Russian president’s unprecedented visit to the disputed archipelago as “absolutely unacceptable.”
TOKYO, JAPAN | WORLD | AUGUST 2026
The United States has reiterated its support for Japanese sovereignty over four Pacific islands administered by Russia after President Vladimir Putin made an unprecedented visit to the disputed territory.
Washington reaffirmed its longstanding position recognizing Japan’s sovereignty over Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai islets. Tokyo collectively calls them the Northern Territories, while Moscow considers them part of the southern Kuril Islands.
Putin travelled to Iturup—known in Japan as Etorofu—on August 13. It was his first visit to one of the Japanese-claimed islands since coming to power more than two decades ago.
During the trip, the Russian president toured a school, a hospital and a fish-processing facility. His presence was widely interpreted as a deliberate assertion of Russian authority over the territory.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the visit as “absolutely unacceptable” and warned that it would seriously damage bilateral relations. Japan’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to deliver a formal protest.
Tokyo maintains that the four islands are inherently Japanese territory under historical evidence and international law. Moscow rejects that interpretation, arguing that Russian sovereignty was established through the outcome of the Second World War.
Soviet forces occupied the islands in 1945 following Japan’s surrender. Approximately 17,000 Japanese residents were subsequently expelled and replaced by settlers from the Soviet Union.
The dispute has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a formal peace treaty concluding their wartime hostilities. A joint declaration in 1956 restored diplomatic relations and contemplated transferring Shikotan and Habomai to Japan after a treaty was signed, but the arrangement was never completed.
Negotiations advanced modestly under former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose government promoted joint economic projects and visa-free visits for former residents without abandoning Japan’s territorial claim.
That dialogue collapsed after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Japan joined Western sanctions against Moscow, while the Kremlin suspended peace negotiations and discontinued special visits to the islands.
Putin criticized Japan’s policy toward Russia and defended Moscow’s control of the archipelago. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev reinforced that position by declaring that the islands would remain Russian territory.
The area holds considerable strategic importance. Its location provides Russia’s Pacific Fleet with access between the Sea of Okhotsk and the open Pacific, while surrounding waters contain valuable fisheries and potential mineral and energy resources.
American support places the dispute within the broader security balance of the Indo-Pacific. Japan is simultaneously confronting closer military cooperation between Russia and China, North Korea’s expanding weapons capabilities and growing pressure across its maritime frontiers.
Putin’s visit does not alter Russia’s effective control, but it signals that Moscow has little interest in territorial negotiations under current conditions. For Japan, it also represents an attempt to normalize an occupation it has never accepted.
Force may control a territory for generations, but time alone cannot resolve the disputes that history left open.