Russia intends to cement its control of Japanese-claimed islands off Hokkaido by deploying sophisticated weapons, including antiship cruise missiles and an air defense system, defense analysts said.
On Tuesday, Russia's Interfax news agency quoted a senior Russian defense official as saying Russia will deploy Yakhont antiship cruise missiles and the Tor-M2 missile shield to the island chain, which includes the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group, all of which Japan wants returned.
Since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has scaled down its military presence on the islands, but the latest moves apparently indicate a change in its defense posture for the area and may exacerbate the territorial dispute between Tokyo and Moscow, the analysts said.