Moscow Summons Japan's Envoy Over Putin Island Visit

Takaichi, a foreign policy hawk from the right of her party, said the visit "hurts the feelings of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable."

Russia's Foreign Ministry said the islands are an "integral part" of Russia and that Japan is making unfounded claims on Russian territory. Lavrov said he would use the meeting with Muto to discuss not only Japan's response to the Iturup trip but how ambassadors should carry out their duties in a host country.

James Brown, a professor of international relations at Temple University's Tokyo campus, told DW the trip was "clearly a message to Japan." He said Russia "has been angered by Japan's support for Ukraine and for the closer ties that Tokyo has been building with European members of NATO," adding that "there is a clear desire to punish Japan" alongside a domestic motive: "a visit like this can generate patriotic support among Russians of all political stripes."

Toshimitsu Shigemura, a politics professor at Waseda University, told DW that Tokyo has little left to fire back with. "Tokyo has already summoned the Russian ambassador and made a formal diplomatic protest, but sanctions are already in place over the Ukraine war and I think it will be difficult for Japan to add more," he said. "Japan is importing Russian energy and, because of the situation with Iran, that has become even more important, which leaves Tokyo in a relatively weak position."

Shigemura said Putin — possibly in concert with China and North Korea — is trying to weaken Takaichi over her firm line on regional security, and knows her domestic poll numbers are softening.

Su Tzu-yun of Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research told The Epoch Times the visit was "essentially coordinated" with Beijing and aimed at the trilateral alliance between the United States, Japan and South Korea. "The primary objective here was simply to exert pressure on Japan," he said.

Cheng Cheng-Ping, a professor at National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, told The Epoch Times the message runs through Tokyo to Washington: "By intimidating Japan, China and Russia are simultaneously warning the United States that its military deployments are already stretched to the limit."