Japan protests Russian missile drill near disputed Kuril islands
What's new: The exercise used a submarine, cruiser and Bastion launcher to hit targets more than 300 kilometers away.
Japan protested after Russia notified Tokyo of missile tests near the disputed Kuril islands, a flashpoint that has further strained ties between the neighbors. Russia's Pacific Fleet said it carried out the drill off the Southern Kurils using the Varyag guided-missile cruiser, the Omsk nuclear-powered submarine and a Bastion coastal defense system, striking targets more than 300 kilometers away. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi called the military buildup on the islands unacceptable. The tests followed Vladimir Putin's Aug. 13 visit to Iturup, his first trip there as president, which drew a formal protest from Tokyo. The territorial dispute has blocked the two countries from signing a post-World War II peace treaty.