President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the island of Iturup on August 13 was routine in some respects. As with his brief appearances in other Russian regions, it featured a bored-looking Putin inspecting a local business, a stage-managed meeting at which Putin glowered at a regional official and a meet-and-greet with handpicked locals. 

Yet, this visit was different because Iturup (or "Etorofu" in Japanese) is one of the four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan as its Northern Territories. These islands were historically part of Japan, but, following the Soviet Union’s declaration of war on Aug. 8, 1945, Soviet forces occupied the islands and subsequently expelled the Japanese population.

Moscow’s declaration of war was a violation of the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact of 1941. Another contentious point is that the Soviet advance continued after Japan’s announcement of surrender on August 15, with the occupation of the islands not completed until September. 

Eight decades later, this remains an important political issue in Japan. A peace treaty with Russia has yet to be signed because Japan insists that the territorial issue be settled first. 

It is therefore no surprise that Putin’s visit provoked outrage in Tokyo. Russian ambassador Nikolai Nozdrev was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and issued with a strong protest. Russian state media also reported protests near the Russian embassy in Tokyo. 

Other Russian officials have visited the disputed islands, but, throughout his quarter-century in power, Putin had always stayed away. What has changed?

The first factor is the parliamentary election on September 18-20. The outcome will, of course, be fixed, but the Kremlin would like to limit the amount of cheating required. This is a challenge given Putin’s falling approval ratings and growing war fatigue. 

The Russian Far East is a particular concern given its history of anti-regime protest, including in 2020-21 when thousands in Khabarovsk demonstrated........

© The Moscow Times