Japan protests Putin's first visit to disputed islands

MOSCOW, Aug 13: President Vladimir Putin visited Russia's far-eastern Kuril islands for the first time on Thursday, prompting protests by Japan which also claims the territory.
Russian-Japanese relations have long been dogged by the contested islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and seized by the Soviet Union in 1945.
The Kremlin posted a video of Putin on one of the Kurils' four main islands, with Russian media saying he visited a fish-processing plant and was given caviar.
It was the first visit by a Russian president since Dmitry Medvedev in 2010. "The Northern Territories are an inherent part of Japan's territory, both historically and under international law," Japanese Prime Minister SanaeTakaichi told reporters.
Putin's visit "offends the sentiments of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable," she said, adding that it "made it more difficult to restore relations in the medium to long term."
Putin travelled to the Kurils after visiting the nearby Russian island of Sakhalin on Wednesday, where Russia's navy was conducting drills. In Sakhalin, Putin, 73, held a meeting "on ensuring the security of Russia's eastern borders," RIA Novosti said.
Also on Thursday, Japan's Foreign Minister ToshimitsuMotegi summoned Russian ambassador to Japan Nikolai Nozdrev to lodge a "strong protest" against Putin's surprise move.�"AFP