Russia beefs up military base despite Japan tensions

Russia says it will expand its military presence on the Kuril Islands, which lie off Japan’s northern coast and are claimed by Japan. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the Kuril base would be developed along with four Arctic bases. The row blocked a peace treaty between Russia and Japan after World War Two. In […]

Russia says it will expand its military presence on the Kuril Islands, which lie off Japan’s northern coast and are claimed by Japan.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the Kuril base would be developed along with four Arctic bases.
The row blocked a peace treaty between Russia and Japan after World War Two.
In July Mr Shoigu said two garrisons were being built on Kunashir and Iturup – the main islands in the group near Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island.
Japan protested when Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev visited Kunashir and Iturup in August. The Kurils are called the Northern Territories in Japan. The Soviet Union seized the islands in 1945, shortly before Japan’s surrender in World War Two.