According to reports from the website RT, Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), and Tass, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on August 12 in the Russian Far East city of Neftegorsk that Japan's territorial claims over the South Kuriles (referred to by Japan as Northern Territories or the Northern Four Islands) are 'baseless'. Putin also criticized Japan for using the situation in Ukraine as an excuse to impose 'unjustified sanctions' on Russia.
The background of Putin's statement is his return to the Sakhalin region after 13 years. His main purpose was to observe the final stage of a large-scale exercise by the Russian Pacific Fleet. It is worth noting that August 11, 1945, 81 years ago, marked the beginning of the Battle of Sakhalin.
During the observation of the exercise, Putin made a rare direct statement regarding the territorial dispute between Russia and Japan. According to the TASS report, Putin stated that the Kuril Islands, including the four northern islands claimed by Japan, have been confirmed in international documents as part of Russian territory, and this is a "reality that emerged after World War II."
Putin further stated that Japan's change in position was "definitely not caused by us." Putin said that Russia had maintained constructive relations with Japan, but unfortunately, Japan seems to have changed its stance, and this change was not caused by Russia.
Japanese Asahi TV commented that it was "extremely rare" for Putin to directly address the issue of the "Korean Peninsula Islands." Japanese media analyzed that Putin's mention of Japan in his speech was clearly a message sent to the Japanese government.
In recent years, relations between Russia and Japan have deteriorated due to the Ukraine crisis. Japan joined the sanctions against Russia imposed by the G7 group. In response, Russia withdrew from negotiations for a peace treaty and terminated cooperation in joint economic activities in the South Kuriles.
In February 2026, the Kremlin officially announced that Russian-Japanese bilateral relations had reached a historic low. In April of this year, the Japanese Foreign Ministry released a "Diplomatic Blue Book," in which it accused Russia of "occupying" the four northern islands and attributed the deterioration of Japan-Russia relations to the situation in Ukraine.
It should be noted that the dispute over the islands between Russia and Japan has a long history. These four islands are known as Iturup Island, Kuna Hill Island, Shikotan Island, and Habomai Islands in Russia, while in Japan they are called Seto, Kokusho, Shikotan, and Teshimo Islands. The total area of the four islands is nearly 5,000 square kilometers, and they are located between the Russian Kuriles and Hokkaido in Japan.
Due to fundamental disagreement on the territorial belonging of Nanxian Archipelago, the two countries have yet to conclude a peace treaty since World War II.
