Putin pays 1st visit to Russia-controlled island, draws protest from Japan

TOKYO - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday visited Etorofu Island in his first trip in office to the Russian-held, Japanese-claimed island chain off Hokkaido, drawing a backlash from Tokyo, which called it "totally unacceptable."

The islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and by Russia as the Southern Kurils, have long been at the center of a territorial row between the countries. The visit came as ties between Japan and Russia remain strained in the wake of Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.