Japan-Russia islands dispute: fears tensions are dragging in US and China as jets scramble

Sharp increase in Russian military planes approaching Japanese airspace prompted Tokyo to scramble jets 35 times in June alone

Experts say Russian activities are meant not only as a signal to Tokyo over the Northern Territories/Kurils dispute, but as a show for domestic audiences and a gauge of US opinion

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A dog stands in front of a Soviet IS-2 tank, a World War II monument, in the island chain known as the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:00am, 11 Aug 2021Updated: 10:23pm, 11 Aug 2021

Japan’s fighter aircraft have been scrambled to respond to a sharp increase in Russian military planes approaching Japanese airspace north of Hokkaido in recent weeks, as tensions escalate over a disputed island chain.

Experts say that Moscow’s activities are meant not only as a message to Tokyo in its long-running territorial dispute over the islands – referred to as the Northern Territories by Japan and the Southern Kurils by Russia – but as a show of strength for a domestic audience.

They also believe the Russian flights are aimed at gauging Washington’s position on the dispute, amid concerns that what was once a bilateral issue between Moscow and Tokyo is swiftly evolving into a multilateral one concerning the United States and China, too.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visits the island chain known as the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan in late July. Photo: AP

In a recent commentary for the East Asia Forum website, Andrey Gubin, an associate professor with the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, said the context around the dispute had changed.

“Rising US-Russia, US-China and Japan-China tensions are badly affecting the security environment in Northeast Asia”, he wrote.

Soviet troops invaded and occupied the southern part of Sakhalin and the Northern Territories/Southern Kuril Islands as World War II ended and ever since then Moscow has refused Tokyo’s demands that the territory be returned to Japanese control. As a result, the two governments have yet to sign a formal peace treaty ending the war.