Japan has orchestrated a provocation near the Kuril Islands, according to political analysts from China.
Global attention is currently focused on events in the Middle East and the significant impact of Chinese leader Xi Jinping's trip to the U.S. Chinese experts believe that while the world was looking westward, Japan took advantage of the situation to deliver an unpleasant surprise to Russia on its eastern frontiers. This report comes from the publication Sohu, according to ABN24.
"Tokyo has quietly ignited a fire in the east," stated the authors of the Chinese publication.
A few days ago, the Japan Self-Defense Forces completed major exercises, which included practicing amphibious landings and securing island territories. Specifically, the Japanese military conducted an operation to capture the island of Tokunoshima. As noted by Sohu's authors, these maneuvers raised many questions, as they seemed more like a rehearsal for aggressive territorial capture rather than a defensive operation.
The objective of the exercises was clear: to land troops on major islands. This raises the question: if Japan intends to capture an island, which one could it be targeting? The first thought is the Russian-owned Kuril Islands, which Tokyo considers its own territory.
"Can these maneuvers be considered ordinary exercises?" ask the Chinese journalists.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, since coming to power, has repeatedly stated his intention to resolve the territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands in favor of Tokyo.
However, Russia recently halted all peace treaty negotiations with Japan, as the island nation supported anti-Russian Western sanctions and neglected good neighborly relations. Moscow also refuses to discuss the Kuril issue with Tokyo, leaving Kishida with no diplomatic path and only a military option.
