Diplomatic Spat: Moscow Summons Japanese Envoy Over Kuril Islands Dispute

Moscow, on Monday, announced it had called in the Japanese ambassador following Tokyo's strong disapproval of President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to the Kuril Islands, a far-eastern Russian archipelago also claimed by Japan. The contested status of these islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan and seized by the Soviet Union in 1945, has historically strained relations between Russia and Japan.

President Putin, aged 73, undertook the trip to the islands after a prior visit to Russia's Sakhalin island. This move prompted Japan to initially summon Russia's ambassador in protest. In a retaliatory measure, Moscow then summoned Japanese envoy Akira Muto.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on Monday that Japanese officials had "crossed the line of decency" by criticizing President Putin's journey. "We have summoned the (Japanese) ambassador," Lavrov informed reporters, noting that Tokyo had initially indicated Muto would not be immediately available. Lavrov added, "We were told either that he was not in Moscow or that he was unwell. We did not quite understand the situation."

Later, Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova informed state news agency TASS that subsequent to Lavrov's remarks, the ambassador had "suddenly started feeling better" and was expected to attend the meeting on Tuesday. Lavrov explained that the summons for Muto was intended to address "the conduct of the Japanese leadership" and to discuss how ambassadors "should conduct themselves in the host country."

Relations between Japan and Russia have significantly deteriorated since the full-scale conflict in Ukraine commenced in 2022. Japan has aligned itself with other G7 nations in imposing sanctions on Russia and providing financial and non-lethal defensive assistance to Kyiv.