Japan Protests Russian Missile Tests Near Disputed Kuril Islands

TOKYO — Japan has lodged a protest with Russia over missile tests around disputed islands claimed by Tokyo, adding to tensions that have intensified following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to the territory.

Japan said it protested after receiving notification of planned missile testing around the Kuril Islands, which Japan refers to as the Northern Territories. Tokyo has repeatedly objected to Russia strengthening its military presence in the area.

Military Drills Draw Tokyo’s Objection

Russia’s Pacific Fleet has been conducting large-scale exercises in the region. Reports said the drills involved dozens of ships and submarines, aircraft and more than 13,000 personnel, with live-fire activity forming part of the exercises.

Russian forces also carried out missile launches involving naval platforms and a Bastion coastal defence system in the southern Kuril area. Japan argues that such military activity conflicts with its longstanding position on the disputed territory.

Putin Visit Added to Tensions

The missile dispute follows Putin’s August 13 visit to Iturup, known in Japan as Etorofu. The visit prompted a strong protest from Tokyo, with Japanese officials describing it as unacceptable.

Russia subsequently summoned Japan’s ambassador in Moscow and rejected Tokyo’s territorial claims, underscoring the widening diplomatic divide between the two countries.

An Eight-Decade Territorial Dispute

The four southernmost islands in the Kuril chain have been administered by Russia since the Soviet Union seized them at the end of World War II. Japan continues to claim the islands as its Northern Territories.

The unresolved sovereignty dispute has prevented Japan and Russia from concluding a formal post-World War II peace treaty. Relations have deteriorated further since Japan joined Western sanctions against Moscow following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Strategic Importance of the Islands

The island chain is strategically significant because of its position between Russia’s Far East and Japan. The surrounding waters are also important for fishing and provide Russia with military access between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific.

Relations Under Growing Pressure

The latest missile exercises underline the growing security dimension of the territorial dispute. Tokyo says it will continue to closely monitor Russian military activity around the islands, while Moscow maintains that the territory is under Russian sovereignty.

With military exercises, diplomatic protests and competing sovereignty claims continuing, prospects for progress on the longstanding territorial issue remain uncertain.

Key Points

•    Japan has protested Russian missile tests around the disputed Kuril Islands.
•    Japan calls the four disputed southern islands the Northern Territories.
•    Russia has administered the islands since the Soviet Union seized them in 1945.
•    Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup on August 13, prompting a separate protest from Tokyo.
•    The territorial dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a formal post-war peace treaty.
•    Japan-Russia relations have worsened further since Tokyo imposed sanctions on Moscow over the war in Ukraine.