Why did Putin just visit territory embroiled in decades-long Japan-Russia dispute? | DW News

Why did Vladimir Putin visit the disputed Kuril Islands, and why has it triggered such a sharp reaction from Japan? The controversial trip has reignited one of Asia's longest-running territorial disputes. Alex Forrest Whiting speaks to Jeffrey Hall from Kanda University of International Studies in Tokyo, and to Natasha Kuhrt from the Department of War Studies at King's College London. They discuss what's at stake, why the islands matter, and what this means for Russia-Japan relations.

Chapter Breakdown
0:00 Why are the Kuril Islands considered disputed territory?
1:46 Interview with Jeffrey Hall and Natasha Kuhrt
2:18 Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi calls Putin's visit "absolutely unacceptable"
5:23 Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement on the territorial claims on Kuril Islands
7:31 What is Japan's "military doctrine" as stated in its Pacifist Constitution?
10:51 Russia nor Japan signed a formal peace treaty after WWII - is this unusual?
12:47 Why do both Japan and Russia say these islands are of strategic importance?
17:23 Why has Putin made this visit now?
20:22 Is Putin's visit symbolic or will it shift politics on the ground over this dispute?

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