Russia summons Japanese ambassador after Putin's trip to Kuril Islands

Russia's Foreign Ministry summons the Japanese ambassador to protest Tokyo's condemnation of President Vladimir Putin's trip to Kuril Islands, the Moscow-controlled Pacific archipelago that also is claimed by Japan.

The meeting comes after Putin's visit last week to Iturup, one of the four southernmost islands of the chain, which it calls the Northern Territories.

The Soviet Union took them from Japan in the final days of World War II, and the dispute kept the countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their hostilities.

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described Putin's actions as "incompatible with the Japanese position on the Northern Territories" and "absolutely unacceptable."