Russia summons Japanese ambassador over PM's remarks following Putin's Kuril Islands visit
Moscow has summoned Japan's ambassador in protest over comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, which Russia labeled 'anti-Russian.' The remarks came after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Kuril Islands.
Russia has summoned Japan's ambassador to Moscow to lodge a formal protest over recent statements by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, which Russian officials described as 'anti-Russian.'
The diplomatic friction followed comments made by the Japanese prime minister in reaction to a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Kuril Islands, a territory at the center of a decades-long sovereignty dispute between the two countries.
A long-standing territorial dispute
The Kuril Islands remain one of the most sensitive and enduring points of contention in Japan-Russia relations. Japan claims several of the islands, which it refers to as the 'Northern Territories,' arguing they were unlawfully annexed by the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Russia has controlled the islands since that time and regards them as an integral part of its sovereign territory.
Putin's visit to the islands, and the subsequent remarks from Prime Minister Takaichi, have added fresh diplomatic tension to a relationship already strained by several geopolitical issues, including Japan's support for Western sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine.
The source report does not specify the exact content of Takaichi's remarks, nor does it detail any response from Japan to the summoning of its ambassador.
