Russia Summons Japan Ambassador Over Disputed Islands Row

Japan's ambassador to Moscow was expected Tuesday to respond to Russia's summons over a row about disputed islands visited by President Vladimir Putin for the first time last week. Bilateral relations have long been dogged by the Kuril islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and seized in 1945 by the Soviet Union which then expelled the Japanese population. Putin, 73, visited the territories last Thursday, prompting Japan to summon Russia's ambassador in protest.