KUNASHIR, Kurile Islands (Reuters) - President Dmitry Medvedev landed in the Kurile Islands Monday, the first Russian leader to visit one of the islands also claimed by Japan, a Reuters correspondent travelling with him reported.

Medvedev's visit to Kunashir Island comes shortly before his trip to Japan for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in mid-November.

The Soviet Union occupied the four disputed islands at the end of World War Two and the territorial row has weighed on relations between Tokyo and Moscow ever since, preventing the signing of a formal peace treaty.

Japan refers to the islands as its Northern Territories.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied Saturday that the proximity of Medvedev's two trips was politically charged, saying it was simply about convenience.

"The territory of the Russian Federation is the territory of the Russian Federation," he said.

Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said last month that such a visit by Medvedev would "severely harm" relations.

Russia's foreign ministry responded that Japan's claim to the islands was a "dead-end."

The island chain stretches northeast from Japan's main northern island of Hokkaido to Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. Kunashir lies about 10 miles (16 km) from Hokkaido.

The dispute is a perennial subject of talks when Japanese and Russian leaders meet, but there have been no signs of a potential breakthrough for years.

Politicians in both countries have used tough talk on the dispute to bolster their credential as patriot