Japan said it “strongly protests” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to a disputed island.
Russian state media reported on Thursday that Putin visited the Kuril islands, claimed by both Russia and Japan.
The two countries have been locked in a dispute over the Kuril islands for decades.
In a statement on X, Japan’s foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the islands are “inherently Japanese territory both historically and under international law, and the Government of Japan strongly protests this visit”.
