Putin’s Kuril visit raises pressure on Japan and China stakes
SCMP · 3 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Vladimir Putin visited the disputed Southern Kuril Islands on Thursday during a wider tour of Russia’s Siberia and Far East, marking his first trip there as president. The visit came just before the anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender and amid strained Russia-Japan ties, while analysts cited by the South China Morning Post say it also fits a broader pattern of pressure on Japan that matters to China’s regional strategy.
Key Points
- Putin first watched the final stage of Pacific Fleet drills off Sakhalin, boarding the missile cruiser Varyag in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and meeting senior commanders on Wednesday.
- On Thursday he landed on Iturup, the largest island in the Southern Kurils, where he visited a fish plant, a school and a hospital, and spoke with residents.
- The trip was Putin’s first to the islands as president; Dmitry Medvedev previously became the first Russian leader to visit the disputed territory in 2010.
- The islands, called the Northern Territories by Japan, were taken by the Soviet Union in the final days of World War II, and the dispute has blocked a post-war peace treaty.
- Analysts quoted by SCMP said Beijing and Moscow are jointly increasing pressure on Japan over sanctions on Russia, the Taiwan issue and the sensitive timing before August 15.
Why It Matters
For China, the visit suggests Russia is willing to harden its posture toward Japan at the same time Beijing is clashing with Tokyo over Taiwan-related security concerns. For Hong Kong readers tracking Northeast Asia, any further deterioration in Russia-Japan ties could deepen China-Russia strategic alignment and add volatility to regional security calculations involving Japan, Taiwan and US allies.