Takeda Tsuneyasu Criticizes Japan's Silence After Putin's Etorofu Visit Takeda Tsuneyasu, descendant of Japan's former imperial family, criticizes Tokyo's muted response to Putin's visit to Etorofu Island in the disputed Northern Territories. Takeda Tsuneyasu, a writer and descendant of Japan's former imperial family, used his YouTube channel on 20 September to criticize Tokyo's response after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Etorofu Island in the disputed Northern Territories. He argued that Japan should have reacted forcefully and warned that silence helps Russia normalize control over the islands, which Russia calls the Southern Kurils. Takeda is a great-great-grandson of Emperor Meiji. In the video, Takeda said a month had passed without any Japanese countermeasure to Putin's visit. He pointed to a Sankei News report from 11 September stating that Foreign Minister Motegi had made clear that recalling Japan's ambassador to Russia was not being considered. Takeda argued that Russia benefits when the visit receives little attention.Under his stated logic of territorial disputes, a country should stir public and diplomatic attention when it does not control disputed territory, and keep things quiet when it does control it. He said Japan is doing the opposite. Tokyo stays quiet on the Northern Territories and Takeshima, which it does not control, while actively raising the profile of the Senkaku Islands, which Japan administers.He concluded that silence on the Northern Territories plays into Russian interests. He warned that over years, the dispute could quietly drift toward permanent Russian control. Takeda's critique rests on a simple asymmetry: the Northern Territories have been under Moscow's administration since the end of the Second World War, while Japan claims them. Under his framework, that is precisely the kind of dispute where Tokyo should keep the issue visible, because prolonged silence allows the status quo to harden.In contrast, Japan administers the Senkaku Islands but China and Taiwan contest that control. There, Takeda argues, low-profile management avoids giving rivals an opening. His view highlights a long-standing nationalist criticism: that Japan is louder where it has control and quieter where it does not.The video's sharpest point is the reported statement by Foreign Minister Motegi that recalling Japan's ambassador to Russia was not being considered. Whether one agrees with an ambassador recall or not, the absence of any announced countermeasure is what Takeda treats as evidence that Tokyo is treating a Russian visit to disputed territory as routine. That, he suggests, is exactly what Moscow wants: a visit that produces no diplomatic cost and eventually becomes part of the accepted background.The Northern Territories, known in Russia as the Southern Kurils, consist of four islands: Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai islets. They were seized by Soviet forces in the final days of World War II. Japan has consistently demanded their return, and the dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a formal peace treaty. Putin's visit to Etorofu on 20 September was part of ongoing Russian efforts to assert sovereignty over the islands.Japan's response has been limited to diplomatic protests. Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said the visit was unacceptable and hurt bilateral relations. However, no concrete measures were announced. Takeda's YouTube video adds to domestic debate, but as an opinion from outside government, it does not weigh the potential costs of a stronger response, such as closing channels with Moscow on other security or economic issues. The video offers no evidence about the Japanese government's private diplomatic calculations.Takeda's view is an opinion from outside government, not a policy proposal with assessed trade-offs. A stronger Japanese response could keep the territorial claim prominent, but it could also close channels with Moscow on other security or economic issues. The video does not weigh those costs. Its main value is as a public articulation of a long-standing nationalist criticism: that Japan is louder where it has control and quieter where it does not. Whether his warnings will influence policy remains uncertain, but the issue of the Northern Territories continues to be a sensitive point in Japan-Russia relations.