Japan protests Russian missile tests off Kuril Islands
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- Japan's Foreign Ministry lodged a protest on Aug 21 after Russia notified planned missile tests off the Kuril Islands — known in Japan as the Northern Territories — seized by the Soviet Union in 1945 after it expelled the Japanese population.
- Russia's Pacific Fleet said on Aug 20 it had already carried out the drills, with the cruiser Varyag firing Vulkan anti-ship missiles, the nuclear submarine Omsk firing Granit cruise missiles, and a Bastion coastal system on the Kurils striking with an Oniks missile.
- Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters in Oman that Russia's military buildup in the Northern Territories, including the missile drills, is "unacceptable" and runs counter to Japan's position.
- President Vladimir Putin made his first official visit to the Kurils on Aug 13 — the first by a Russian president since Dmitry Medvedev in 2010 — prompting Japan to summon Moscow's ambassador, a move Russia reciprocated.
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi declared the islands "an inherent part of Japan's territory, both historically and under international law."
- Analysts told AFP Putin's Kuril visit was likely aimed at warning Japan against deepening support for Ukraine — potentially including direct supply of Patriot missiles — even as Tokyo eases defence export rules but remains barred from sending lethal aid to a country at war.
Why it matters: Russia confirmed the drills already happened rather than merely notifying them, escalating its military posture on islands Japan insists are sovereign territory. Analysts cited by AFP read Putin's Aug 13 Kuril visit as a warning aimed partly at deterring Japan from deepening Ukraine support — potentially including Patriot missile transfers — a step Tokyo's laws still block but which Japan has been easing defence export rules to permit.
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