Russia Notifies Japan of Bombing Drills in Kuril Islands Near Border, Tensions Rise

Unilateral Notice Following Forced Detention of Japanese Journalist

TASS-Yonhap News

Russia has notified the Japanese government that it will conduct bombing drills around the Kuril Islands, an area bordering Japan that Tokyo calls the Northern Territories. Following Russia's forced detention of a Japanese journalist on Sakhalin Island and its decision to proceed with the bombing drills, diplomatic tensions between the two countries are expected to intensify further.

According to the Nikkei on October 15, Russia recently informed the Japanese government that it would conduct bombing drills on Iturup, one of the four main islands in the Kuril chain. The drills are scheduled to run from October 13 to 17. Russia also notified Japan that it would close the airspace over the entire Kuril Islands, including Kunashir, Habomai and Shikotan, from October 10 to 16.

The Nikkei reported that the Japanese government strongly protested to Russia through diplomatic channels, saying, "Russia's military buildup in the 'Northern Territories' is unacceptable." Following the forced detention of a Japanese journalist on Sakhalin on October 14, Russia's announcement of unilateral bombing drills in an area bordering Japan is expected to further worsen diplomatic relations between the two countries.

On October 14, Kimitake Nakamura, director-general of the European Affairs Bureau at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, summoned Nikolai Nozdrev, Russia's ambassador to Japan, to protest the forced detention of the Japanese journalist and demand that an opportunity to meet with the journalist be arranged promptly.

The Japanese journalist forcibly detained in Russia's Sakhalin region is reportedly a correspondent formally registered with the Russian Foreign Ministry. The journalist works for Japan's Hokkaido Shimbun and was based in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Russian authorities said they arrested him on espionage charges, alleging that he had sought to provide Japanese authorities with the number of Kuril Islands residents who volunteered for or were mobilized to fight in the war in Ukraine.

Relations between Russia and Japan have steadily deteriorated since Japan joined Western sanctions against Russia. Tensions deepened in particular in August, when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup and strongly asserted that it was Russian territory, prompting a strong protest from the Japanese government.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.