Sanae Takaichi says Putin's visit to disputed island is "absolutely unacceptable"

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup on Thursday, one of the Kuril islands also claimed by Japan, his first such trip while in power. Soviet forces took the islands near the end of World War II, and Tokyo has made their return a condition for a formal peace treaty. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi condemned the visit in a televised statement. Japan’s foreign ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador to register a protest. Moscow’s embassy rejected the complaint, saying the islands are Russian territory and Putin’s travel within Russia is an internal matter. The trip came two days before Japan’s wartime surrender anniversary and a day after North Korea fired a missile into the sea separating it from Japan. Japan-Russia relations have deteriorated since Tokyo joined sanctions against Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.