Tokyo has lodged a protest with Moscow over a potential plan to deploy a military division later this year on Russian-controlled islets claimed by Japan off Hokkaido, the government's top spokesman said Thursday, a move that could exacerbate the decades-old territorial row.
The government plans to ask Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who unveiled the plan on Wednesday, for a detailed explanation when he visits Tokyo to attend bilateral ministerial security talks on March 20, government sources said.
"If it means reinforcing the Russian military's buildup on the Northern Territories, it is regrettable and would conflict with the position of our country," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.