On August 13th, local time, former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama posted on social media that it is understandable for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Koumashi to protest the sudden visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Zebel Island (referred to as 'Iturup Island' by Russia). "However, the Japanese government should have anticipated that supporting Ukraine alone during the Russo-Ukraine conflict, and demonizing Russia, would make negotiations with Russia regarding the Northern Four Islands (referred to as 'Kamchatka Islands' by Russia) impossible."
He said that the person who regretted this government's response the most was former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
On August 13, a message was posted on the Kremlin website stating that Putin arrived in the South Kuril Islands (referred to as the 'Northern Four Islands' by Japan) for a work inspection.
According to the itinerary disclosed by the Kremlin, Putin inspected a fish processing factory on Ikuturu Island (known as "Seto Jima" in Japan), and tasted caviar produced locally. Subsequently, he also visited hospitals and schools on the island, and engaged in exchanges with students.
On that day, Gao expressed her strong protest regarding this matter, stating that the Northern Four Islands are part of Japan’s inherent territory both historically and under international law. She said, “This has made Japan’s domestic attitude towards Russia even more severe, and it will be difficult to restore relations in the long term. I hope the Russian side will seriously recognize the severity of this situation.”
