# Putin visits disputed Kuril Islands, prompting Japanese protest

https://mins.news/en/item/20866

- France 24, 2026-08-13 04:53 UTC
- World
- Original: https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20260813-putin-visits-kuril-islands-claimed-by-japan

> Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the far-eastern Kuril Islands near Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido for the first time on Thursday. Tokyo responded with a strong protest over the disputed territory, which Japan claims and the Soviet Union seized in 1945.

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- [Putin visits disputed Kuril Islands for first time, prompting Japanese protest](https://mins.news/en/item/21116) — CNN, 2026-08-13
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