Kuril Islands: tensions between Japan and Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Iturup (Japanese: Etorofu), one of the four Kuril Islands in the North Pacific, has sparked fierce protests in Japan. Both Tokyo and Moscow lay claim to the islands, which were occupied by the Soviet Union in the closing stages of the Second World War and have been under Russian administration ever since. According to the Russian state news agency Tass, this was Putin's first trip to the Kuril Islands. Commentators take a closer look.
Blueprint for occupied Ukrainian territories
Russia's behaviour regarding the Kuril Islands is an indication of what it could do with the annexed territories in Ukraine, Forum24 concludes:
“Eighty-one years without a peace treaty. Eighty-one years during which the 'temporary occupation' has become constitutionally enshrined national territory. ... Once the Russian bear has sunk in its teeth, it never lets go. It doesn't negotiate, it doesn't budge, it doesn't back down. It cynically waits until the world has lost interest and looks the other way. And in the meantime, it builds a school and a fish farm on the stolen land. ... Putin posed there for all the Western politicians and negotiators who are now sitting around the negotiating table calculating how much Ukrainian territory could be 'temporarily' placed under Russian administration.”
Ambassador unlikely to be recalled
In a Telegram post republished by Echo, Japan expert Vasily Golovnin outlines the possible consequences of Putin's visit:
“President Vladimir Putin's visit today to the South Kuril island of Iturup immediately triggered a sharp reaction in Japan, which was expressed in extremely harsh terms. ... Some experts in Tokyo are already suggesting that the Japanese government might even recall its ambassador from Moscow in response. I personally, however, do not believe it will come to that. The Japanese ambassador was recalled from Moscow in response to Medvedev's visit to the Southern Kuril Islands [back in 2010, when he was Russian President] – but afterwards there was a long struggle over how to send him back to Russia.”
Muscle-flexing on both sides
Radio Kommersant FM predicts that the tensions in relations between Japan and Russia won't dissipate anytime soon:
“Through diplomatic channels, the Japanese government forcefully urged the Kremlin to cancel this trip - or at least keep media coverage to a minimum. But exactly the opposite was the case. The visit to the island was timed to coincide with large-scale manoeuvres by the Pacific Fleet. ... Japan is ramping up military spending, purchasing Tomahawk missiles from the US and extending its reach towards the Russian Far East. This brings to mind another term used in the Cold War era: Japan is the US's 'unsinkable aircraft carrier'. It seems likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.”