日本政府对俄罗斯总统普京访问日俄争议的千岛群岛表示强烈不满。[1]日本外相召见俄罗斯大使，日本首相佐贺诚一称此举"绝对不可接受"，并主张这些岛屿"在历史上和国际法下"属于日本。[1]普京周三在邻近的萨哈林岛宣称四个争议岛屿在国际文件中被认可为俄罗斯领土。[1]
千岛群岛在第二次世界大战末被苏联占领，自此成为日俄之间长期的领土纠纷，阻碍两国签署正式和平条约。[1]这些岛屿曾有约17000名日本人居住，目前由约20000名俄罗斯公民占据。[1]对此，普京表示："日本已将俄罗斯列为主要威胁源。我想指出我们没有威胁日本。相反，日本对我国提出领土要求。"[1]
安倍晋三曾与普京就领土达成谅解。[1]2010年任俄罗斯总统期间，梅德韦杰夫曾访问库纳希里岛。[1]2022年俄乌战争后，日本对俄罗斯实施制裁，两国关系随之恶化。[1]
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Sagawa denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to the contested Kuril Islands as "absolutely unacceptable," marking an escalation in tensions over the long-disputed territory [1]. Japan's Foreign Minister summoned the Russian ambassador to lodge a formal protest [1]. The four islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan, have remained a significant point of contention between the two nations since being occupied by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II [1].
Putin, speaking Wednesday from the neighboring Sakhalin Island, asserted that the disputed islands are recognized as Russian territory in international documents [1]. He stated: "Japan has listed Russia as a major source of threat. I want to point out that we have no threat to Japan. On the contrary, Japan is making territorial claims against our country" [1]. Prime Minister Sagawa countered that the islands belong to Japan "historically and under international law" [1]. The territorial dispute has long obstructed the two countries from signing a formal peace treaty [1].
Approximately 17,000 Japanese residents once inhabited the islands, which are now home to roughly 20,000 Russian citizens [1]. This territorial disagreement persists despite previous diplomatic efforts, including an understanding reached between former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Putin regarding the territorial issue [1]. Japan's stance hardened after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, prompting Tokyo to impose sanctions against Moscow [1]. Putin's visit follows a similar visit by then-President Dmitry Medvedev to Kunashir Island in 2010 [1].