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

Russia summons Japan’s ambassador to Moscow over Prime Minister Sanae ⁠Takaichi’s ‘anti-Russian’ remarks.Published On 18 Aug 202618 Aug 2026Russia has strongly protested to Japan’s ambassador ‌to Moscow the “anti-Russian” comments made by ⁠Prime Minister Sanae ⁠Takaichi after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited one of the disputed Kuril Islands for the first time last week.Putin’s controversial visit to the territories last Thursday prompted Japan to summon Russia’s ambassador in protest.Recommended Stories list of 1 itemlist 1 of 1Japan protests as Russia’s Putin visits disputed Kuril Islandsend of listJapan’s prime minister called Putin’s visit to the disputed islands “grave” and “absolutely unacceptable”. “The Northern Territories are inherently part of Japan’s territory, both historically and under international law,” she said.“This visit has further hardened anti-Russian sentiment within Japan and has made the restoration of relations over the medium- to long- term more difficult,” Takaichi added.Japan’s ambassador to Moscow left the meeting at Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday after 25 minutes without making any comment.Disputed islandsKuril IslandsTies bet...