Japan protests Russian missile tests off disputed islands
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- Japan lodged a formal protest on Aug 21 against Russia's notification of planned missile tests off the disputed Kuril Islands, with Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi calling Russia's military buildup there "unacceptable".
- Russia's Pacific Fleet said on Aug 20 it had already carried out the drills, with the cruiser Varyag firing two Vulkan anti-ship missiles, the nuclear submarine Omsk firing Granit cruise missiles, and a Bastion coastal system firing an Oniks missile at targets simulating enemy ships over 300km away.
- President Putin made his first official visit to the islands on Aug 13 — the first by a Russian president since Dmitry Medvedev in 2010 — prompting Japan to summon Russia's ambassador, a move Moscow then reciprocated.
- Prime Minister Takaichi declared the islands "an inherent part of Japan's territory, both historically and under international law" following Putin's visit.
- The Kuril Islands were seized by the Soviet Union in 1945, which expelled the Japanese population; Japan has joined other G-7 nations in sanctioning Moscow and aiding Kyiv since the full-scale conflict in Ukraine began in 2022.
- Japan currently provides only non-lethal defense aid to Ukraine, but analysts said Putin's August visit may have been aimed at warning Tokyo against deepening military support — including the potential direct supply of Patriot missiles.
Why it matters: Russia's live-fire drills on islands it seized from Japan in 1945 now collide directly with the Ukraine war: Japan is a G-7 backer of Kyiv and provides non-lethal military aid, while analysts cited say Putin's visit was calibrated to deter Japan from crossing the lethal-aid threshold — potentially including Patriot missiles.
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