Russia plans military build-up on disputed isles with Japan

Russia can't compete with Japan LOL i hope you dont mean militarily!? without the US help Russia would wipe the floor clean of Japan if there was an all out conflict. Not even including Russia 6000+ nuclear wareheads there military is formidable

Time is not on Russia side, eventually,they are going to find what they have left : only nuclear warhead.

Time is on Japan side. A rapidly aging country with no natural ressource. fast shrinking population with stagnant economy. peoples living under constant fear of volcano eruption, earthquake tsunami and foreigner.

The guys from "The Diplomat" would say this is really about Russia surrounding and targeting China, not Japan...

@toshiko "Russia can not afford its plan to replace USA military in middle -east".

Russians have just done it in Syria. Russian Air Forces and Special Forces showed their effective work to everyone.

Toshiko is right. Here is Russia going headlong into a program to stretch their military supply lines way out to their frontiers, far beyond their interests. To defend against a threat that does not exist. And in doing so, they alienate a huge source of patient capital.

Just more Russia "shooting itself in the foot" news here.

I have said it a million times. Russia has a huge opportunity to make a historic grand gesture, and it blows it over and over again. So Japan makes its natural gas and energy contracts with somebody else, and the Russians make their contracts with the Chinese (who are pushing the Russians to the wall on their big pipeline deal that has gone wrong) and the North Koreans. Maybe that was fine when the ruble was solid and Russia was flush with cash to finance its own programs, but oh my what a difference two years makes. What a crew of losers those sad sack Russians are.

Count on this 70 year trend to continue. Russia used to have the world's second largest economy, and Japan was beaten and starving. Military bluster , laziness, and arrogance vs. calm, patience, and hard work have shown history their worth. Russia's economy, without energy, is smaller than Tohoku's. And getting smaller.

And please let's not lose sight of the fact that all this news is "Russia is a gonna this and we are a gonna that." They are going to build a military port? A great new airport? Sure they are. And I bet their military people will be able to find plenty of volunteers to go live on a bunch of rocks. Saying it is dumb. Doing it is even dumber.

Time is not on Russia side, eventually,they are going to find what they have left : only nuclear warhead. enough wareheads to wipe out every country on the planet, Russia have a lot more military might than just nuclear wareheads!. and if you say only "nuclear warehead" over 6000, then you are a fool.

And people are worried about Okinawa

This has very little to do with Japan and more with China. The Chinese have unstated designs to claim much of the Russian Far East. They won't try their luck with this one unless they perceive the Russians as being weak.

@ Akula

This has very little to do with Japan and more with China. The Chinese have unstated designs to claim much of the Russian Far East. They won't try their luck with this one unless they perceive the Russians as being weak.

Like seriously, they're planning to put military installations on the Kuril Islands, a territory disputed with Japan, and it's somehow about China? This is exactly what I meant in my initial post in this article. Your comment is more appropriate in The Diplomat, where the delusional people are. Maybe next, you'll say Russia's military in the Kuril is just them signalling to Japan that they want to extend an olive branch for a possible military alliance against China...

"Game Set Match."

Against Ukraine, Syria,and Japan? Putin's glorious victories?

@5SpeedRacer5"I have said it a million times."

Aren't you tired to repeat this sort of heresy a million times ?

@mike hang"There is already have a group in NYC organized by some Chinese."

Big deal. There is already a group of EU hypocrites plus Barack Hussein Obama who demand to return Crimea. Both Crimeans and Russians laugh at them.

Why is some people talking about China when there is no mention of China in the article? It's clear this is about Japan.

Russia doesn't have the money to upgrade their military equipment such as SSNs and aircraft carriers, what are they going to station at the bases?

Basically Russia is broke with oil prices at rock bottom for the last two years or so.

And? They are Russian islands. They can do as they please.

tinawatanabe: "Japan should be patient"

With Japan's current attitude they'll never, ever see the islands again. That's what you get for starting a war, then disputing everything is yours after losing. They had a chance to get two back but radical right-wingers kept it from happening. So, you can be as "patient" as you like, you'll be dead and gone and the islands will belong even more to Russia than ever.ntime is on Russia's side, as it is SK with Dokdo, adm Japan's side with the Senkakus.

why not make an offer to the Japanese government to return to of the islands to Japan

Putin likes to use those islands for military training. Besides, the islands belong to russia. Just like the Senkaku islands belong to Japan.

If the dictator in the Kremlin wants better relations with Japan

Vise-versa. Its the Japanese who need better relations with Kremlin. Sure the Japanese once kicked Russia's butt in war. But today (no matter how broke russia is) Russia has the upper hand. All political circles in Japan know this.

This is why the Kremlin never quake in their own boots whenever Japan lodges any kind of protest for those Kuril Islands.

Jay WilsonMar. 26, 2016 - 10:38PM JST

If the dictator in the Kremlin wants better relations with Japan and wants a way to resolve this dispute once and for all, why not make an offer to the Japanese government to return to of the islands to Japan As Smith says, that offer was made, but, as usual , with the Japanese, obstinacy is king, they play a zero sum game-winner take all, but they lost, they don't get to dictate anything to the Russians. Personal opinion: With NATO ever moving closer to the Russian boundary in Ukraine, the Baltics e.t.c. , Russia will want to make for itself as much of a buffer zone as it can get, giving back the two islands is to make itself a little bit more vulnerable. Japan should count its loses and move on.

Time is not on Russia side, eventually,they are going to find what they have left : only nuclear warhead.

The other thing is that some Chinese are starting to organize a group, wanting to take back their huge lands taken by USSR long time ago .There is already have a group in NYC organized by some Chinese.

If the dictator in the Kremlin wants better relations with Japan and wants a way to resolve this dispute once and for all, why not make an offer to the Japanese government to return to of the islands to Japan

Japan has been kicking up troubles often now they got the vengeance from Mr.Putin

This has very little to do with Japan and more with China. The Chinese have unstated designs to claim much of the Russian Far East. They won't try their luck with this one unless they perceive the Russians as being weak.

No, China don't claim Russia far east.

peoples living under constant fear of volcano eruption, earthquake tsunami and foreigner.

... and still doing better than people in Russia.

Smithinjapan: if they are Russian islands and Japan is not going to get any of them back, why does Putin say the '56 deal is still valid? And does this action not prove that Putin is lying about the '56 deal still being valid?

It's fun to see that even without precise detail of that plan "prophets of Russian doom" are already circling around ("Russia will be broke", "Russia will suffer", "Russia is hostile" etc). May be Russians intend to build a helicopter base or a port for patrol ships, so what? May be we wait untill their plans are clear, and then react?

@paulinusa

Against Ukraine, Syria,and Japan? Putin's glorious victories?

Ukraine, Syria - (not "against", but "in") yes, victories. Against Japan? No, Russia has no plans against Japan. Moot point. But anyway, you can tell us about US glorious victories against Afghanistan and Iraq.

@5SpeedRacer5

Russia going headlong into a program to stretch their military supply lines way out to their frontiers, far beyond their interests

Look at the map. Kurile islands are within Russian borders (and within the sphere of interests and Russian defence perimeter). And if Russians were able to very effectively supply their forces in Syria (and the intensity of the air campaign denotes huge supply demand), they'll have no problem in supply of a base at Kuriles, there will be no "stretching" of supply lines.

Russia has a huge opportunity to make a historic grand gesture, and it blows it over and over again

Let me continue your wonderful idea: the US has a huge opportunity to make a historic grand gesture and return full control of Okinawa to Japan and Guantanomo - to Cuba. And British has the same opportunity to return the Falklands to Argentina and Gibraltar to Spain. But ooops, they blow their chances again and again. What a crew of losers those sad sack Americans and British are!!

Russia's economy, without energy, is smaller than Tohoku's. And getting smaller.

Russia's economy looks not big, but apart from very effective machinery, nuclear, space, agricultural industries it has one more extremely important advantage point: Russia lives within its means, it has very negligible foreign debt, plus plentiful gold reserves. And what about US or Japanese debts? Any slightest idea how to repay?

And I bet their military people will be able to find plenty of volunteers to go live on a bunch of rocks

And what's the problem? Americans find personnel to serve at Elmendorf-Richardson base at Alaska, Japanese SDF find personnel to serve at Hokkaido, British find personnel to serve at Falklands.

Russia plans military build-up on disputed isles with Japan

Good. What are those SEALD's whimps going to do now? The LDP and those other jokes of political parties have no answer to this build-up.

What happened to Abe "vowing" to engage with Russia over the disputed isles? Japan is becoming weaker and weaker. And soon, when all the hard-cash is gone, they cannot do the "checkbook" thing anymore.

Jay Wilson: "why not make an offer to the Japanese government to return to of the islands to Japan"

They did, in the past. They offered to give two back, but Japan scoffed at the idea, saying they would accept "nothing less than all four", and now you've got the current situation. Russia's not to blame for this. They live on, administer, and effectively own the islands. Japan has absolutely no valid claim to them. The onus is not on Russia, but on Japan. As such, Russia has every right to build on the islands, and the longer and the more they build, the more the possibility of getting nothing instead of 'nothing less' will be forever the reality.

Russia can't compete with Japan, let alone China.

What dopes.

Japan should be patient.

Russia can not afford its plan to replace USA military in middle-east, African countries and now trying in Kurrl. China will not help. China prefer to help USA, Australia, S Korea where it can get its investment back

Abe does not have to do anything ... just watch Russia go broke further.