Putin may visit disputed islands off Japan's Hokkaido

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday pledged to visit a chain of islands in its Far East, including those disputed with Japan, further complicating their strained ties amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.At a town hall meeting in the Khabarovsk region broadcast on state television, Putin said he would make a trip to the Kuril Islands, though he did not give a specific timeline.Russia contends that the chain of islands includes four that are claimed by Japan. The four are called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia.Tokyo maintains that the Soviet Union ille…READ FULL ARTICLE