Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev dismissed on Thursday Japan’s fury at his trip to one of four disputed islands between Moscow and Tokyo, urging other ministers to regularly visit the remote region.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev dismissed on Thursday Japan’s fury at his trip to one of four disputed islands between Moscow and Tokyo, urging other ministers to regularly visit the remote region.

Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev Thursday dismissed Japan's anger at his latest trip to the disputed Kuril Islands and urged other ministers to regularly visit the remote region.
"As for our Japanese partners' reaction -- I do not care," Medvedev said in comments carried by the government's official website.

"I care so little about it that I do not even want to spend time answering your question," Medvedev was quoted as saying to reporters during the closing stages of his trip to Russia's Far East.

"Why? Because why would we discuss the presence of the head of the Russian government on Russian territory," Medvedev demanded.

Japan expressed "extreme regret" on Tuesday over Medvedev's decision to tour the biggest of the four islands that were seized by Soviet troops at the end of World War II.

"All government members must be here regularly in order to delve into its problems," Medvedev said.
Tokyo claims the Kuril islands and still formally refers to them as the Northern Territories.