News Story: Japan, Russia agree to work on N. Korea at U.N. Security Council

NEW YORK (Kyodo) -- Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said he and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov affirmed Monday in New York that Japan and Russia will work together, including at the U.N. Security Council, in addressing the threat from North Korea.

"The goal for both of us is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Kono told reporters after his roughly 30-minute meeting with Lavrov on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

"Japan and Russia are of the same understanding that (this includes) the enforcement of (U.N. Security Council) resolutions," Kono said.

The latest sanctions resolution, adopted in response to the North's Sept. 3 nuclear test, is the first to place a cap on North Korea's supply of oil and petroleum products. It also bans purchases of the country's textiles and calls on U.N. members to stop admitting North Korean laborers.

Kono said he appealed to Lavrov for Russia to use its influence on North Korea. The North has continued to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, firing a ballistic missile across Japan into the Pacific Ocean last week.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Story: Japanese PM expects progress in concluding Japan-Russia peace treaty

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Russia and Japan have agreed to continue dialogue and sign a peace treaty in the foreseeable future, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday.

"The most important thing for Japanese-Russian relations is the conclusion of a peace treaty, (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin said so during his visit to Japan. This time, we came to a new resolution to sign a peace treaty with our own hands," Abe said following talks with Putin on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) held here.

The Japanese prime minister said he and Putin had also agreed to have another meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Vietnam in November.

"We intend to maintain dialogue with him, taking advantage of every opportunity," he said.

Earlier at the plenary session of the EEF, Abe urged the two countries to improve bilateral ties and end the abnormal situation concerning the long-delayed peace treaty.

"A number of things that Russia and Japan could not achieve over the last 70 years were set to motion in the past single year. And if we continue our steps forward for another year and then another after that, then we will see a bright future in which the potential of Japan-Russia relations will be fully revealed," Abe said.

Towards this end, Russia and Japan must put an end to "the unnatural state of affairs" of still not having a peace treaty, he said, adding that the two countries should try and carve out a new era for bilateral relations.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Report: Japan to Closely Follow Russian Military’s Actions on Southern Kurils

Japan will closely follow Russian military’s actions on the South Kuril Islands that Tokyo considers to be Japanese territories, the Defense of Japan annual white paper for 2017 said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Japan will closely follow Russian military’s actions on the South Kuril Islands that Tokyo considers to be Japanese territories, the Defense of Japan annual white paper for 2017 said.

"It is necessary to follow tendencies of Russian Armed Forces on the Far East, including the Northern Territories [Japanese name for the South Kuril Islands]," the paper, released on Tuesday, said.

The four South Kuril Islands, namely Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai, have long been disputed between Russia and Japan, and are the reason the countries have never signed a permanent peace treaty after the end of World War II.

In November, the Russian Pacific Fleet's official newspaper Boyevaya Vakhta reported that Bal and Bastion coastal defense missile systems were deployed on Kunashir and Iturup islands, respectively. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the deployment was part of scheduled works aimed at strengthening the country’s national security. Japan, in its turn, criticized the deployment, with Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga saying it was "unacceptable."

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.

News Story: Russia argues THAAD can be used offensively

THAAD Interceptor test launch

By Lee Chi-dong

SINGAPORE, June 4 (Yonhap) -- A top Russian defense official on Sunday accused South Korea and the U.S. of escalating tensions in Northeast Asia by deploying the powerful Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) on the Korean Peninsula.

Deputy Defense Minster Lt. Gen. Alexander Fomin claimed the missile system can be used for launching "long-distance attack missiles," and should not be viewed exclusively as a defensive system.

"That's why we are alarmed. It's a direct threat to Russia," he said, speaking at a plenary session of the 16th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

He pointed out the deployment of the THAAD system in South Korea has already begun.

"We are convinced that (the) ongoing (move) in the region under the auspices of the United States to deploy elements of a global missile defense (system) will not only not solve the existing problems on the Korean Peninsula, but, on the contrary, will only exacerbate them," he said in English.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Story: Putin concerned US could deploy military on disputed islets

Vladimir Putin (Image: Wiki Commons)

ST. PETERSBURG (Kyodo) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed concern that disputed islands controlled by Moscow but claimed by Tokyo could be armed by the U.S. military if they are returned to Japan.

Putin also said in an interview with Kyodo News and other media outlets that Russia's military buildup on the islands off Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido is aimed at countering U.S. threats.

While emphasizing that demilitarization on the islands is possible, Putin said it should be considered in the context of reducing tension throughout the region. He said the islets are geographically and strategically significant.

The islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group were seized by the Soviet Union after Japan surrendered in August 1945 at the end of World War II. They are called the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan.

The dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a postwar peace treaty.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Story: Russia's Putin cool on Japan-U.S. pressure on N. Korea

Rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula cast a shadow over the April 27 summit between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The two leaders agreed that North Korea must abide by United Nations Security Council resolutions on its nuclear and missile programs, and that pressure should be brought to bear on the regime not to do anything provocative. However, at the joint news conference following the summit, Putin told reporters, "It's necessary to continue dialogue and avoid surrendering to rhetoric. It's also necessary to restart the six-party talks" on North Korea's nuclear program, throwing cold water on Japanese-U.S. military pressure on the regime of Kim Jong Un.

In the Russian view, it is the United States that is pushing the Korean Peninsula to the brink of disaster. In his talks with Abe, Putin is thought to have called on Japan to pressure its ally Washington to show restraint.

The Japanese government, meanwhile, is looking to implement a two-pronged approach to the North Korean missile and nuclear program problem: asking China and Russia to use their pull in Pyongyang at the same time as allies Japan, the U.S. and South Korea apply pressure. On April 25, the Japanese, U.S. and South Korean delegates to the currently suspended six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons development met in Tokyo and agreed to call on Russia to put pressure on the Kim regime.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Story: Pace of Japan, Russia economic cooperation on disputed isles largely down to broader geopolitics

TOKYO, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday he plans to forge ahead in bringing to fruition joint economic activities between Japan and Russia on islands central to a long-standing territorial dispute.

The Japanese leader will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss this against a backdrop of other pertinent global matters that will also have to be traversed before any significant headway is made or new cooperation, economic or otherwise, agreed upon beyond rhetoric, informed sources have said.

The territorial dispute, however, remains the main sticking point between Tokyo and Moscow, and regards four islands situated off Hokkaido.

They are believed by Japan to be a part of the Nemuro Sub-prefecture of Hokkaido and are referred to by Japan as the Northern Territories.

Russia, who administers the islands, maintains that the islands, that they refer to as the Southern Kurils, are their territory with Russian leaders repeatedly referring to the islands as a strategic region of Russia.

Abe and Putin have both stated and agreed in principle, however, that it is unusual that both countries have not signed a postwar peace treaty due to the spat, and have agreed to discuss the matter candidly going forward.

But progress in this respect has been sluggish owing to geopolitical stumbling blocks as well as the firm belief on both sides that, while the absence of a peace treaty is an anachronism, many complexities on the issue remain.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Abe starts 4-day trip to Russia, Britain for summits

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left Japan on Thursday for a four-day trip to Russia and Britain for one-on-one meetings with the countries' leaders on security and economic affairs.

In a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin later Thursday in Moscow, Abe is set to discuss joint economic activities on the Russian-held, Japanese-claimed islands off Japan's Hokkaido in an effort to conclude a post-World War II peace treaty.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Story: Abe to discuss isles row, N. Korea, Syria with Putin

TOKYO -- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin at their summit Thursday in Moscow ways to enhance economic ties and realize joint economic activities on the disputed islands in a step to conclude a peace treaty.

The talks, the leaders' 17th overall and the first since the summit in December, could be overshadowed by their difference in approaching the issue of North Korea's nuclear and missile development programs and comes amid deteriorated ties between the United States and Russia over the Syrian crisis.

Abe hopes his repeated talks with Putin will eventually lead to a breakthrough in the long-standing row over Russian-held, Japanese-claimed islands off Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, which has prevented the two countries from signing a post-World War II peace treaty.

Abe told a gathering in Tokyo on Tuesday he hopes to "make progress on the issue of the peace treaty."

"I hope to have a meeting that would lead to Russia's constructive cooperation toward resolving issues such as those of the Korean Peninsula and the Middle East," he said.

In the upcoming talks, the leaders are expected to confirm a speedup in talks on joint economic activities on the disputed islands in areas such as fisheries and tourism, an initiative they agreed to launch at their summit in December.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Story: Japan report cites concern about China's rapid militarization

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan cites concerns about China's rapid militarization including construction of outposts and their military use in the contested waters of the South China Sea, emphasizing the need to protect open and free waters in the government's annual foreign policy report released Friday.

Japan is required "to coordinate with the international community to protect open, free and peaceful waters" amid China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, says the Diplomatic Bluebook 2016, which was reported to the Cabinet by Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.

Many countries including Japan have expressed concerns about China's unilateral acts to change the status quo that heighten tensions in the South China Sea, such as its massive and fast-paced land reclamation, construction of outposts and the use of them for military purposes, the paper says.

The annual document was released as China is in a territorial dispute with smaller Asian claimants, including the Philippines and Indonesia, in the South China Sea where it constructed runways, advanced radars and deployed surface-to-air missiles, deemed as a way to assert maritime interests and territorial claims.

China has repeatedly and especially criticized Japan and the United States, calling them "outsiders" in territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

But the paper says the issue is of "grave concern" to Japan as the country seeks the safety of sea lane and the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea due to its reliance on imports of energy resources by sea.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Story: Gov't to send team to disputed islands to probe joint Japan-Russia economic activities

The government decided on April 14 to send a survey team to the Russian-held Northern Territories off Hokkaido as early as mid-May as a step toward the realization of Japan-Russia joint economic activities on the disputed islands.

The team will be made up of public officials from related government bodies and parties from the private sector, including tourism and fisheries businesses. Since fiscal 1992, Russian residents of the islands and groups of Japanese citizens including former residents of the Northern Territories and scholars have been allowed to travel between the disputed islands and Japanese soil without passports or visas, but this will be the first public-private joint research team to be sent to the islands with the aim of promoting economic activities.

Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in December last year when the latter visited Japan that the two countries would start negotiations over joint economic activities on the Northern Territories. Abe is scheduled to meet with Putin again during his visit to Moscow on April 27 and 28.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Story: Japan, Russia defense chiefs eye deeper ties, divided on some issues

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese and Russian defense ministers agreed Monday to deepen bilateral cooperation in hopes of dealing with regional security challenges and to continue joint training between their nations' troops for maritime rescue and search operations, a Japanese official said.

Touchy topics were also discussed, with Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada protesting Russia's increasing military presence on disputed islands off Hokkaido, and her counterpart Sergei Shoigu criticizing a missile defense system deployed in Japan that also involves components owned by the United States.

Inada was referring to the Russian-controlled, Japanese-claimed islands off Japan's northernmost main island. The protracted dispute on the sovereignty of Etorofu, Kunashiri and Shikotan islands, and the Habomai islet group, has prevented the two countries from concluding a post-World War II peace treaty.

Russia has been modernizing its military on the Kuril Islands, which separate the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean and include the disputed islands. It has deployed state-of-the-art antiship missile systems on two of the disputed territories, while also planning to boost troop strength in the Kuril Islands.

Experts say Russia's aim is to step up the defense of its nuclear submarines that patrol the Sea of Okhotsk and to prepare to counter serious threats from the United States.

During the talks, Inada argued that Russia's military activities in what Japan calls the Northern Territories goes against the position of Japan, which views the four islands as its "inherent territory."

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Story: Japan, Russia hold 1st talks on joint activities on disputed isles & Japan, Russia to start working on concrete projects on disputed isles

Japan, Russia hold 1st talks on joint activities on disputed isles

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Senior officials of Japan and Russia met Saturday for the first talks on possible joint economic development of islands off Hokkaido controlled by Moscow but claimed by Tokyo, in an effort to resolve the long-standing row surrounding the territory.

The focus is on how the two sides can agree on a special framework and conduct economic activities without adversely affecting their respective legal stances on the sovereignty of the islands.

"It is important to constructively discuss the future image of the four islands," Deputy Foreign Minister Takeo Akiba said at the outset of talks with his Russian counterpart Igor Morgulov, referring to the disputed islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group.

The row over the islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia, has prevented the two countries from signing a post-World War II peace treaty.

Akiba said Japan hoped to make progress toward the conclusion of a peace treaty in such a way that the countries' "respective legal stances are not infringed."

Read the full story at The Mainichi

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Japan, Russia to start working on concrete projects on disputed isles

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan and Russia agreed Saturday to begin working on specific projects involving joint economic activity on Russian-held isles claimed by Japan, in the hope such efforts will lead to signing a postwar peace treaty.

In the first senior officials' meeting on the issue, the two sides proposed concrete projects in areas such as healthcare and fisheries. But they still need to work out a legal arrangement so as not to undermine their rival claims to sovereignty over the islands.

Yet even if joint economic activities begin, that would not guarantee talks on settling the territorial dispute will move forward, as Russia staunchly maintains the isles off Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido are its legitimate territory, and appears more interested in economic gains, Japanese analysts said.

At the outset of talks and the portion open to the media, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said any joint economic activities need to proceed in a way that "does not contradict Russian laws." He also said the proposals made by Russia are designed to contribute to the "social and economic development" of the islands.

A Japanese official said Russia had proposed a project to rebuild decaying houses on the islands.

Japanese officials declined to comment on the projects they presented. But earlier government sources had said Japan would propose that Japan and Russia jointly offer advanced medical services on the disputed islands, and ferry tours of the islands for tourists.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Report: Tokyo's Protest Over Russia's Division on Kurils is Inappropriate – Russian MP

Japan’s protest over Russia’s plan to deploy a division on its Kuril Islands is inappropriate considering there is a naval base of the United States in Okinawa, Viktor Ozerov, chairman of the defense committee in the Russian upper house of parliament, told Sputnik on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the ministry would deploy a division on the Kuril Islands this year. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga announced the following day that Tokyo had sent a note of protest over the plans.

"To say the least, these protests are inappropriate, they are not based on the international law," Ozerov said.

According to Ozerov, it might as well be expected that the United States would withdraw its naval base from Okinawa.

"Let them do this and we will think about the division on the Kuril [Islands]," Ozerov noted.

Japan lays claim to Russia's Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan islands and the Habomai group of islets. Tokyo's stance has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a peace treaty after World War II.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.

News Report: Russia Has No Intention to Use Military on Kuril Islands Against Japan

Russia does not intend to use its division which will be deployed to the Kuril Islands against Japan and is ready for military cooperation with Tokyo on the issue, Viktor Ozerov, chairman of the defense committee in the Russian upper house of parliament, told Sputnik on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – On Wednesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the ministry would deploy a division on the Kuril Islands this year. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga announced the following day that Tokyo had sent a note of protest over the plans.

"We do not intend to use our armed forces against Japan by deploying them to the Kuril Islands … We are ready to cooperate, including in the military sector, in the sphere of countering terrorism and theft of marine biological resources," Ozerov said.

Japan lays claim to Russia's Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan islands and the Habomai group of islets. Tokyo's stance has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a peace treaty after World War II.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.

News Report: Japan Lodges Protest Over Russia's Plan to Deploy Division on Kurils

Japan sent a note of protest against Russia over its plan to deploy a division on the Kuril Islands later in the year, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Thursday.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced a plan to deploy a division on the Kuril Islands in 2017 in the framework of the border protection measures.

"The protest was submitted via diplomatic channels on [February] 22 and 23. It is regrettable if the Russian Armed Forces enhances its military presence… [there]. It is at odds with the position of our state," Suga said at press conference.

Japan lays claim to Russia's Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan islands and the Habomai group of islets. Tokyo's stance has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a peace treaty after World War II.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.

News Story: Russia military acknowledges new branch - info warfare troops

MOSCOW (AP) -- Along with a steady flow of new missiles, planes and tanks, Russia's defense minister said Wednesday his nation also has built up its muscle by forming a new branch of the military -- information warfare troops.

Sergei Shoigu's statement -- which came amid Western allegations of Russian hacking -- marked the first official acknowledgement of the existence of such forces.

Speaking to parliament, Shoigu said that the military received a sweeping array of new weapons last year, including 41 intercontinental ballistic missiles.

He added that the wide-ranging military modernization will continue this year, with the air force set to receive 170 new aircraft. The army will receive 905 tanks and other armored vehicles, and the navy will receive 17 new ships.

Also this year, three regiments of Russia's strategic nuclear forces will receive new intercontinental ballistic missiles, Shoigu said. Each regiment has up to 10 launchers.

The rising number of new weapons has raised demands for new personnel. Shoigu said the military currently needs 1,300 more pilots and will recruit them by 2018.

Declaring the formation of the dedicated information warfare troops, Shoigu noted that "propaganda needs to be clever, smart and efficient." He wouldn't describe the troops' mission.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Story: Russia military may deploy division to Kuril Islands

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Kyodo) -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu unveiled a plan Wednesday to deploy a military division to the Kuril Islands, including areas Japan claims, later this year, according to Tass news agency and other news outlets.

Shoigu told parliament of the plan to deploy one of the four divisions the Russian military will newly form to the area in the Far East, prompting Japan's ambassador to Russia to express displeasure.

The reports came as Japan and Russia plan to hold a sub-Cabinet-level meeting on future economic cooperation in the disputed area on March 18 and ministerial security talks two days later in Tokyo.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Story: Japan, Russia to hold ministerial security talks March 20

BONN (Kyodo) -- Japan and Russia will hold the "two-plus-two" dialogue between the two countries' defense and foreign ministers on March 20 in Tokyo after a hiatus of more than three years, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday.

Kishida also said he agreed with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to promote talks to realize joint economic activities on four Russian-held, Japanese-claimed islands off Hokkaido, confirming the countries will hold their first talks on the issue in Tokyo on March 18.

The two-plus-two dialogue has not been held since the first meeting in November 2013 due to Moscow's annexation of the Crimean region of Ukraine in March 2014 that deteriorated Russia's relations with Japan and Western powers.

Kishida and Lavrov also agreed that Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama and Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov will meet in Tokyo on March 30 for a strategic dialogue, which covers a wide range of diplomatic issues.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Report: Japanese Fighters Scrambled for Record 1,000 Times in 2016

Japanese F-15J (Image: Wiki Commons)

Japan sent its planes to intercept foreign aircraft in the 2016 fiscal year, which starts in April and ends in March, for more than 1,000 times, beating the previous record number, local media reported Wednesday.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — The NHK broadcaster reported citing a military source that in 73 percent of cases, Tokyo tried to intercept Chinese aircraft and in 26 percent of cases the Air Self-Defense Force's jets took off to intercept Russia's planes.

The media outlet added that the previous record of 944 scrambles took place in the 1984 fiscal, but this fiscal year had already beaten the record despite the fact that it ends on March 31.

The number of China's jets attempting to violate the airspace of Japan at one time has also increased, the broadcaster added.

Japan and China have had a territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands, called in Chinese the Diaoyu Islands, since the 1970s. Japan controls the territory, while China claims it. After World War II, the United States held the control of the territory and then transferred it to Japan in 1972 along with the Okinawa Island.

Russia and Japan have a long-standing territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands. Japan lays claim to Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan islands and the Habomai group of islets. The territorial dispute has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a peace treaty after World War II.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.