TOKYO, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Thursday lodged a strong protest after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Kuril Island of Iturup.
Russia and Japan are involved in a territorial row over Iturup, which Japan calls Etorofu, and the other three islands off Japan's northern prefecture of Hokkaido. The four islands that are under Russia's control are called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia. ■
