Putin steps on disputed island, Japan fumes.

President Vladimir Putin visited Russia’s far-eastern Kuril islands on Thursday—his first trip there—triggering an immediate protest from Japan, which claims the same territory. The visit marks a rare, direct show of Russian control over the chain, which lies northeast of Japan’s Hokkaido island. Tokyo calls the southern part of the Kurils its “Northern Territories” and has long sought their return. The dispute, unresolved since World War II, has prevented the two countries from signing a formal peace treaty. Japan’s foreign ministry said it lodged a formal complaint, calling the visit “extremely regrettable.” Moscow, for its part, insists the islands are Russian soil and has stepped up military and economic activity there in recent years. Putin’s trip, though symbolic, raises the stakes in a standoff that shows no sign of thawing.