The Island of Discord: Russia and Japan's Troubled Territorial Past The recent visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the disputed Northern Territories, also known as the Southern Kurils, has reignited a decades old territorial dispute between Russia and Japan.
On August 18th, Japan's ambassador to Russia, Akira Muto, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry for a tense meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin.
The controversy surrounding Putin's visit is not new; it has been festering for years. However, the current spat highlights the complexities and sensitivities of this issue.