俄罗斯总统普京周四首次访问千岛群岛南部的择捉岛，视察了当地的鱼类加工厂、医院和学校。[1]日本外相茂木敏充随即发表声明称："我国强烈抗议"普京的此次访问。[1]
千岛群岛的领土主权问题是俄日两国的长期争议。[1]日本主张的四个南部岛屿被称为"北方四岛"，日本认为这些岛屿是日本固有领土。[1]这些岛屿在二战最后阶段被苏联从日本夺取。[1]日本曾在2021年对俄罗斯总理米舒斯廷访问该岛提出过抗议。[1]俄罗斯多年来不断在千岛群岛增强军事存在。[1]
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Etorofu Island, part of the Kuril Islands chain in the Pacific, for the first time on Thursday, touring a fish processing factory, hospital, and school on the island [1]. Japan lodged a formal objection to the visit, with Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi stating, "Our country strongly protests" Putin's presence there [1].
The disputed territory lies at the center of a long-standing disagreement between Moscow and Tokyo over sovereignty. Japan claims the four southernmost islands of the Kuril chain, which it refers to as the Northern Territories, as its inherent territory [1]. The Soviet Union seized these islands from Japan during the final stages of World War II [1]. Japan has previously filed protests against Russian officials visiting the islands; in 2021, it objected to a visit by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin [1]. Russia has progressively strengthened its military presence in the Kuril Islands over the years [1].