Key points
- Japan protested the Russian military activity
- Drills followed Putin’s visit to disputed territory
ISLAMABAD: Japan on Friday said it had protested to Russia over Moscow’s missile drills near islands claimed by both countries, days after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the disputed territory.
A Japanese government spokesman said Tokyo had lodged a protest after Russia notified it of plans for missile tests near the southern Kuril Islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Russia’s military buildup in the region was unacceptable and contrary to Tokyo’s position on the islands.
Russia’s Pacific Fleet said on Thursday that it had conducted live-fire missile drills against simulated enemy ships near the southern Kurils.
READ ALSO: Japan Says China-Russia Live-Fire Drill Inside Its Exclusive Economic Zone
The exercise involved the guided-missile cruiser Varyag, the nuclear-powered submarine Omsk and a Bastion coastal missile system.
Russian forces said they struck all intended targets at distances of more than 300 kilometres.
Missile follows Putin visit
The drills came shortly after Putin visited Iturup, the largest of the four southern Kuril islands claimed by Japan, on August 13.
It was his first visit to the disputed island chain as Russian president since Dmitry Medvedev travelled there in 2010.
Japan protested the visit, calling the islands an inherent part of its territory. Russia subsequently summoned Japan’s ambassador over Tokyo’s criticism.
The territorial dispute dates to the final days of World War II, when Soviet forces seized the islands.
Russia has administered them ever since, but Japan claims Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai islets as its Northern Territories.
The dispute has prevented Moscow and Tokyo from signing a formal peace treaty since the war.
Relations have deteriorated further since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Japan has joined other Group of Seven countries in imposing sanctions on Moscow and providing support to Ukraine. However, Tokyo currently limits its military assistance to non-lethal defence equipment.
The latest military activity adds to tensions over the islands at a time when Russia is expanding its military presence in its Far East and Japan is strengthening security cooperation with Western partners.
