Tokyo Claims Moscow’s Actions Infringe on Japan’s Territorial Waters
The Japanese government has lodged a diplomatic protest with the Russian Federation over restrictions on navigation near the disputed Kuril Islands. According to WNTab, citing Anadolu Agency, the protest note was sent on Thursday, April 17.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stated that Moscow had informed Tokyo of a ban on the passage of military and civilian vessels through the waters near the islands until midnight on May 1. Hayashi added that such actions are unacceptable and the government has already responded with a diplomatic note.
He further emphasized that granting passage rights exclusively to Russian vessels constitutes an infringement on Japan’s territorial waters.
The dispute over the Kuril Islands dates back to the end of World War II. In 1945, the Soviet Union annexed the archipelago, which stretches from Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula to Japan’s Hokkaido Island. Since then, the two countries have not signed a peace treaty, as they remain unable to resolve the territorial issue.
Meanwhile, Japan plans to conduct training exercises in June 2025 on Hokkaido Island, involving anti-ship missiles with a range of up to 200 km. In response, Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued a strong protest, calling the drills a potential threat to national security and a factor contributing to rising tensions in the region. Moscow reserved the right to take necessary measures to mitigate the perceived threat.
At the same time, as reported by WNTab, relations between two other countries in the region – North Korea and South Korea – have also deteriorated after North Korean military personnel destroyed road and rail links between the two nations.
