The Kuril Islands have long been a disputed Russo-Japanese region, which Japan calls the "Four Northern Islands", while Russia calls them the "Southern Kuriles". After World War II, the Soviet Union took over the archipelago, but Japan never ceased its territorial claims to the archipelago. Russia's ** Putin recently visited the Far East, and he said that he would definitely visit the Kuril Islands in the future, and Japan was deeply worried about this and immediately responded.
Japan's director-general, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said they would continue to monitor developments and respond accordingly in a timely manner. At the same time, he noted that the South Kuril Islands are Japan's inherent territory and hoped that Russia would be able to continue peace talks on Japan's position. Toshimitsu Nagamogi of Japan also said that he would continue to communicate with Russia on this issue in dealing with the issue of this region.
However, Russia is indifferent to Japan's response, on the contrary, it has already deployed more troops in the Kuril Islands. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Russia will deploy more advanced military equipment such as "Fortress" anti-ship missiles and "Topol" ballistic missiles to the Kuril Islands. He added that in order to improve the living conditions of the people on the Kuril Islands, Russia will build new airports and seaports.
The Kuril Islands were founded before the 17th century, when they were inhabited only by indigenous people. Since the 18th century, there have been a series of territorial disputes between Tsarist Russia and Japan over the Kuril Islands. In 1855, China and the United States signed the "Japan-Russia Treaty of Friendship and Friendship" that transferred the Kuril Islands to Japan. In 1873, China and Britain signed the Sakhalin Kuril Islands Exchange Treaty, under which the Kuril Islands were owned by Japan and Sakhalin by Tsarist Russia.
In 1944, Tsarist Russia regained the Kuril Islands in the Russo-Japanese War, but was defeated by Japan. After that, Japan rose to prominence in Asia, while Tsarist Russia gradually declined, and was eventually replaced by the Soviet Union. At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union took advantage of Japan's defeat and seized Sakhalin and the South Kuril Islands. After the end of World War II, in accordance with the provisions of the Yalta Agreement, the Kuril Islands were assigned to the Soviet Union, and Japan had no right to intervene, but the signing of this treaty attracted wide attention from the international community. The Soviet Union and Japan signed the "Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration" in 1956, officially announcing the end of relations between the two countries, but the border issue between the two countries has never been properly handled.
Japan has long sought negotiations to recover the two smallest islands in the South Kuril Islands: Shikotan and Hamai. Then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo proposed this proposal to Putin in 2018, but Putin refused. Putin considers the Kuril Islands as a legitimate territory acquired by the USSR during World War II and does not need to return them to Japan. He added that if Japan wants to sign a peace treaty, it needs to recognize Russia's ownership of the Kuril Islands.
After the Russian-Ukrainian war, Japan turned to the West, not only imposing economic sanctions on Russia, but also imposing higher demands on the Kuril Islands. And Russia has not shown weakness, frequently demonstrating in the Kuril Islands and holding large-scale military exercises to put pressure on Japan. China has always taken a neutral position on this issue. China insists that Russia and Japan will strive to correctly handle the sovereignty dispute between the two countries through friendly talks between the two countries with the joint efforts of the international community.
Putin said that in the future he will visit the Kuril Islands, which is both a promise to the Russian people and a provocation to Japan. He wants to prove that the Kuril Islands are part of the territory of Russia, and no one can shake it. At the same time, he also hopes to use this opportunity to increase his popularity among the people. However, he also knows that going to the Kuril Islands is not the best time, because he has more important things to do, and that is the Ukrainian side. Therefore, he only used the word "future" and did not give an exact timing. Perhaps, he is just waiting for a suitable moment to fulfill his promise.