Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Japan’s ambassador to Moscow following Tokyo’s public condemnation of President Vladimir Putin’s high-profile visit to the disputed Kuril Islands.
Russia requested Muto’s appearance on August 14 or August 17, but the Japanese Embassy in Moscow communicated that he was unavailable, which Russian officials criticized as a breach of diplomatic protocol.
The diplomatic standoff erupted after President Putin visited Iturup Island on Thursday, August 13, 2026. During his tour, the Russian leader inspected a local seafood processing plant, visited a school and hospital, and met with Sakhalin Region Governor Valery Limarenko.
The visit immediately triggered an angry reaction from Japan. In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi addressed reporters, declaring the Kuril Islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories, an “inherent part of Japan’s territory, both historically and under international law”. Prime Minister Takaichi condemned Putin’s trip as “absolutely unacceptable” and warned it would severely damage bilateral ties.
Following the Prime Minister’s remarks, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned Russian Ambassador to Japan Nikolay Nozdrev to the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo to formally lodge a strong protest.
The Kremlin swiftly dismissed Tokyo’s diplomatic objection. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova described Japan’s protests as “politically inappropriate, insulting, and legally unfounded,” reiterating Moscow’s stance that the Southern Kuril Islands became part of the Soviet Union following World War II on legitimate international grounds.
Addressing reporters following bilateral talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized Tokyo’s rhetoric, stating that Japanese officials had “crossed the bounds of decency” with their statements. Foreign Minister Lavrov announced that Japan’s envoy to Moscow was summoned directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square to explain both Japan’s formal protest and its diplomatic conduct in the host country.
”He must come to the Foreign Ministry, and we will discuss both the conduct of the Japanese leadership in connection with President Putin’s visit to Russia’s Iturup Island and how the ambassador should conduct his work in the host country,” Lavrov said.
The long-standing territorial dispute over the four southernmost islands, Iturup (Etorofu), Kunashir (Kunashiri), Shikotan, and the Habomai islets has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a formal World War II peace treaty for over eight decades.
Relations between the two nations have deteriorated further since 2022, when Tokyo aligned with Western allies to impose financial sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Moscow subsequently halted peace treaty negotiations and joint economic activities on the islands.
