Japan Lodges Protest Over Putin's Visit to Russia-Held Disputed Islands

Japan has formally protested Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to a group of disputed islands in the region. The islands, referred to as the Northern Territories by Japan, have been a longstanding source of tension between the two countries. They were seized by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II in 1945 and have remained under Russian control since. The territorial dispute has continued to strain diplomatic relations between Tokyo and Moscow for decades.