Japan is concerned about the deployment of Russian S-300V4 surface surface-to-air missile systems on a disputed chain of Kuril islands in the North Pacific.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said on Wednesday said that Japan’s government has lodged a protest after Russia’s military deployed a number of its new S-300V4 missile defense systems for combat duty on a disputed chain of islands near Japan.
As press service of the Russian Eastern Military District previously reported, units of Russia’s latest S-300V4 air defense missile system just entered combat duty on the Kuril Islands.
“Units of the S-300V4 missile defense system entered combat duty on an air defense mission on the Kuril Islands,” the statement said.
Earlier, Commander of the Eastern Military District’s forces Col. Gen. and the Hero of Russia Gennady Zhidko personally checked readiness to enter combat duty. He highly appreciated coordinated work of units and forces on duty during the drills when a signal was received on Russia’s air border violation.
The S-300V4 is an advanced highly mobile air defense missile system designated to protect vital military and administrative facilities and groupings of forces against strikes by ballistic and aerodynamic air attack weapons. This is the fourth version of the upgraded S-300V battlefield anti-aircraft missile system.
According to Reuters, a territorial row over the islands, which the Soviets seized at the end of World War Two, has prevented the two countries from signing a formal peace treaty. Japan calls the islands the Northern Territories and Russia calls them the Kurils.
Moscow is strengthening its military capabilities on the disputed islands, treating them as a major military foothold in Russia’s Far East.