US Ambassador to Japan George Glass confirmed Washington's recognition of Tokyo's sovereignty over the South Kuril Islands. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the disputed territory the day before.
In a post on Platform X (formerly Twitter), the ambassador called Japan the most important ally of the United States.
“While Japan and the United States strive to promote prosperity for the entire Indo-Pacific region through their alliance, we strongly oppose any actions that could undermine peace and stability in the region,” he wrote.
Glass used the term “Northern Territories”, which in Japan refers to the Kuril Islands.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Kuril island of Iturup for the first time, where he toured the Yasny fish processing plant and met with local residents. The Japanese authorities declared a strong protest. The Asian country's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that the Southern Kuril Islands “have historically been an inalienable territory of Japan in accordance with international law.” Tokyo is considering the possibility of introducing new sanctions against Russia.
Disputes over the ownership of the Kuril Islands between Russia and Japan have been ongoing since the end of World War II. Following the war, the islands became part of the USSR, but Tokyo disputes Russian sovereignty over some of these territories.
A peace treaty between Russia and Japan has not yet been signed due to Japanese claims to the South Kuril islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, as well as the group of uninhabited Habomai islands.
