Japan And Russia Agree That They Should Formally End World War II

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (r.) shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a signing ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow. Many new circumstances are driving Moscow and Tokyo to take a fresh look at one another, despite the debate that has raged since the end of World War II about the rightful ownership of the Kuril Islands. Kirill Kudryavtsev/Reuters

Japan And Russia Want To Finally End World War II, Agree It Is 'Abnormal' Not To -- Christian Science Monitor

Today's summit between Shinzo Abe and Vladimir Putin comes at an opportune moment but may founder on the old problem of the Kuril Islands, which Japan still wants back.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met in the Kremlin Monday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the first top-level Russo-Japanese summit in almost a decade.

The two wrestled for hours with the problem that has stymied Russian and Japanese leaders for almost 70 years: how to find a mutually acceptable and hopefully profitable way to finally end World War II.

"The leaders of both countries agreed that the situation where, 67 years after the conclusion of [World War II], we have still been unable to conclude a bilateral peace treaty, looks abnormal," said a joint statement at the meeting's end Monday.

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My Comment: The issue that prevents such a signing are the Kuril islands. More to the point .... the Russians administer the islands, but Japan claims that the islands belong to them.

Update: Japan and Russia agree to resolve island dispute -- BBC

Japan Scrambles Fighter Jets After Russian Jets Entered Japanese Airspace

Japan Scrambles Fighters After Russian Jets Approach Island -- CNN

(CNN) -- Japan's military scrambled fighters Thursday after two Russian SU-27 jets entered Japanese airspace off Rishiri Island near the tip of Japan's northernmost Hokkaido Island, according to the country's Defense Ministry.

The Russian jets left Japanese airspace without incident after a little more than a minute, the ministry said.

The incident occurred near territory disputed by Japan and Russia since the end of World War II.

Japanese officials lodged an official protest with Russia over the incident, Japan's Kyodo news service reported.

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More News On Reports That Russian Fighters Entered Japanese Airspace

Japan: Russian Fighter Jets Enter Its Airspace -- Wall Street Journal
Russian fighter jets 'breach Japan airspace' -- BBC
Russian Fighter Jets Breach Japanese Air Space: Tokyo -- Voice of America
Two Russian fighters breach Japanese airspace: Tokyo -- AFP
Japan Says 2 Russian Fighters Entered Its Airspace -- ABC News/AP
Russia denies intrusion into Japan's airspace -- Xnihuanet
Russia denies violation of Japan's airspace -- AP
Russia denies fighter jets breached Japan's air space -- Reuters
Moscow denies Russian fighter jets violated Japanese airspace -- RT
Japan Pledges to Solve Territorial Dispute with Russia -- Voice of America
Island dispute keeps Russia-Japan relations on rocks -- RT

Japan's Airspace Was Nearly "Invaded" 425 Times In 2011

Japan Was Nearly Invaded 425 Times Last Year -- Business Insider

Data quietly released this week by the Japanese Defense Ministry reveals China and Russia are to blame for a record number of emergency operations by Japan's Air Self-Defense Force.

Kyodo news agency reports:

Japan scrambled fighter planes 156 times in response to Chinese aircraft approaching Japanese airspace in fiscal 2011, a record high number for China since the Defense Ministry started releasing such data by country in 2001, the ministry said Wednesday.

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My Comment: The Russians will continue testing Japanese airspace .... but it is with the Chinese that I expect tensions to increase as they continue with their military buildup in the region. So ....

.... Japan scrambled fighter planes 156 times in response to Chinese aircraft approaching Japanese airspace in fiscal 2011

Expect this number to rapidly increase in the next year or two.

Russia Beefs Up its Military Forces On The Disputed Kuril Islands

Russian Plan To Deploy Missiles On Disputed Islands 'Regrettable' - Japan -- RIA Novosti

Japan is concerned over Russia's plans to deploy missiles on a group of disputed islands, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said on Wednesday.

Russian media quoted on Tuesday a high-ranking representative of Russia's General Staff as saying that Russia was planning to deploy Bastion missile systems with Yakhont anti-ship cruise missiles on the disputed South Kuril Islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan.

"This is very regrettable," Edano told journalists in Tokyo. He added that Japan was following closely the "trends of Russia's military activities in the Far East."

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More News On The Dispute Between Russia And Japan Over The Kuril Islands

Russia to deploy cruise missiles on Kuril Islands -- Xinhuanet
Japan Concerned Over Russia’s Military Buildup On Disputed Kuril Islands -- Eurasia Review
Japan Regrets Weapons Plan for Isles -- Moscow Times
Japan slams Russian military build-up on islands -- AFP
Japan regrets Russian arms buildup plan for isles -- Jerusalem Post
Japan Says Russian Missile Deployment on Kurils `Regrettable' Amid Dispute -- Bloomberg
Preparing for the worst on the South Kuril Islands -- Mikhail Barabanov, RIA Novosti
Russia gazes East with new defense plans -- Global Times

Japan Demands That The Kuril Islands Be Returned From Russia

Japan-Russia Row Escalates Over Disputed Kurils Islands -- BBC

Japan and Russia have exchanged heated comments over the disputed southern Kuril islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Japan's PM Naoto Kan called a visit by Russia's president to the islands last year an "unforgivable outrage".

Mr Kan was speaking during a rally in Tokyo held to demand the return of the islands, which were occupied by Soviet troops at the end of World War II.

Russian FM Sergei Lavrov responded by saying that Mr Kan's remarks were "clearly undiplomatic".

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More News On Japan`s Demands That The Kuril Islands Be Returned To Them

Japan demands Kuril Islands be returned from Russia -- BBC
Russia and Japan wage war of words over islands -- AFP
Japanese PM Pledges Tenacious Effort to Recover Disputed Islands -- Voice of America
Russia calls on Japan to face realities on disputed islands -- Xinhuanet
Japanese premier's statements undiplomatic - Lavrov -- RIA Novosti
Russian Foreign Ministry condemns anti-Russian rhetoric in Japan (Update 1) -- RIA Novosti
Russia Says Japan PM's Remarks On Kurile Islands 'Undiplomatic' -- Radio Free Europe

Russia-Japan Tension Rises Over Medvedev's Visit To Kuril Islands

More Turf Wars For Japan After Russia's Medvedev Visits Disputed Kuril Islands -- Christian Science Monitor

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited the Kuril Islands Monday, ruffling Japan, which also claims what it calls the Northern Territories. Japan has recently sparred with China over disputed islands.

President Dmitry Medvedev has triggered a huge diplomatic flap with Japan, with whom Russia is still officially at war. He ruffled Japan by staging a visit Monday to the disputed Southern Kuril Islands, four tiny specks of land seized by the Red Army in 1945 and claimed by Japan as its own "Northern Territories."

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More News On The Russian - Japanese Dispute of The Kuril Islands

US backs Japan on Russian leader's visit to disputed isles -- AFP
Snap analysis: Russia scolds Japan with disputed island visit -- Reuters
Medvedev trip puts focus on islands dispute -- Financial Times
Kuril islands dispute between Russia and Japan -- BBC
Japan Protests Russian President's Visit to Disputed Isle -- Voice of America
Japan summons Russian ambassador over Kuril islands visit -- The Telegraph
Medvedev’s Milestone Kurils Trip Irks Japan -- Moscow Times
All the Rage in Japan: Territorial Disputes -- Wall Street Journal
Factbox: Japan and Russia's territorial spat -- Reuters

Another Dispute Over Jurisdiction Of Islands In Asia.

Medvedev Visit To Kuril Islands Stokes Japan Row -- BBC News

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has arrived in the Kurils, defying Japan's warnings not to visit the disputed islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan immediately described Mr Medvedev's visit to Kunashir Island as "regrettable".

Earlier, Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov warned that Mr Medvedev was free to visit any Russian region he chose.

The islands have been under Moscow's control since the end of World War II.

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More News On Russian President Medvedev's Visit To The Kuril Islands

Medvedev visits disputed islands -- Al Jazeera
Japan upset as Russian leader visits disputed isle -- Reuters
Russian president's visit to disputed isle "hurts Japanese public sentiment": Japanese FM -- Xinhuanet
Japan to summon Russian ambassador on isle row-Jiji -- Reuters
Japan says to monitor Russian comments on isle row -- Reuters
Russian President Visits Disputed Island -- Wall Street Journal
Visit to Kurils 'regrettable' -- Straits Times