Putin's Kuril Islands Gamble: A Rehashing of Old Tensions?
Vladimir Putin's visit to the disputed Kuril islands near Japan's Hokkaido island has sparked a strong protest from Tokyo, with Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi condemning it as a rebuff to Japan's consistent position on the Northern Territories.
The Soviet Union's seizure of the islands in 1945 has left an indelible mark on the region's history and politics.