Russia protests Japan PM’s comments after Putin’s Kuril visit

What the report says

Russia has summoned Japan’s ambassador in Moscow after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi criticized President Vladimir Putin’s recent trip to one of the disputed Kuril Islands, according to Al Jazeera’s report published Aug. 18, 2026. Moscow objected to what it called Takaichi’s “anti-Russian” remarks following Putin’s visit to Iturup, part of the island chain both countries claim. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the Japanese envoy left after a brief meeting and did not comment publicly.

The exchange comes after Japan lodged its own protest over Putin’s visit, which Takaichi described as “grave” and “absolutely unacceptable.” She repeated Tokyo’s position that the Northern Territories, Japan’s name for the southern Kuril Islands, are its territory under history and international law. The islands were taken by the Soviet Union in 1945, and the long-running dispute has prevented the two countries from concluding a postwar peace treaty.

The article says tensions have worsened since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Japan has joined G7 sanctions on Moscow and provided financial and non-lethal support to Kyiv, while also backing Ukraine indirectly through exports of Patriot interceptor missiles to the United States. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Tokyo of crossing diplomatic lines and criticized what he called Japan’s militaristic approach. Analysts cited by the report said Putin’s visit may also have been intended as a warning against deeper Japanese support for Ukraine.