TOKYO: Japan said on Friday (Aug 21) it had protested against Russia’s notification that Moscow would conduct missile tests off disputed islands visited by President Vladimir Putin earlier in August.
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.
“We lodged a protest in response to the notification about the plan to conduct a missile test” off the islands, a Japanese government spokesman told AFP.
Russia’s Pacific Fleet said on Aug 20 it had already conducted the missile test, although it was unclear when it took place.
“During planned exercises, Pacific Fleet forces carried out a missile strike against targets off the coast of the Southern Kuril Islands. The targets simulated enemy ships and were located at a distance of more than 300km,” the naval fleet said in a statement.
“The crew of the Guards cruiser ‘Varyag’ launched two ‘Vulkan’ anti-ship missiles, while the nuclear-powered submarine ‘Omsk’ fired ‘Granit’ cruise missiles. Simultaneously, a ‘Bastion’ coastal missile system crew on the Kuril Islands struck with an ‘Oniks’ missile,” it added.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters on Aug 20 during a trip to Oman that “Russia’s military buildup in the Northern Territories including these missile drills runs counter to Japan’s position regarding the Northern Territories, and is unacceptable”.
Putin made his first official visit to the islands, administered by Russia since 1945, on Aug 13, prompting Japan to summon Russia’s ambassador – a move then reciprocated by Moscow.
Putin went there after visiting the nearby Russian island of Sakhalin, where Russia’s navy was conducting drills.
His visit was the first trip to the islands by a Russian president since Dmitry Medvedev in 2010.
After Putin’s stop, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the islands “are an inherent part of Japan’s territory, both historically and under international law”.
Ties between Japan and Russia have worsened since the full-scale conflict in Ukraine began in 2022.
Japan has joined other G-7 countries in sanctioning Moscow and aiding Kyiv.
Ukraine, like the United States, recognises Japanese sovereignty over the disputed islands.
Analysts said Putin’s visit to the Kurils could have been aimed at warning Japan against deepening its support for Ukraine – potentially including the direct supply of Patriot missiles – and against closer cooperation with NATO.
Japan currently provides only non-lethal defence aid to Ukraine.
While Japan has eased restrictions on defence exports in recent years, it is still barred from supplying lethal military equipment directly to a country at war. - AFP
