Russia reinforces its defense position near Japan as Kishida visits to Ukraine

Asia-Pacific, Europe, News March 23, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

Russia has deployed a division of its Bastion coastal defense missile systems in Paramushir, one of the Kuril islands near Japan, to reinforce its defense posture in the region after accusing the U.S. of expanding its Asia-Pacific presence.

Russia’s decision to deploy an advanced defense system near Japan comes only days after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Kyiv on a surprise trip to show his solidarity with Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.

The latest development on the deployment was announced by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a high-level military meeting. According to the Russian Defense Minister, the move is part of a wider strengthening of Russian defenses in its vast far eastern regions, partly in response to what he called U.S. efforts to “contain” Russia and China.

“To contain Russia and China, the United States is significantly increasing its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region, strengthening its political and military links with its allies, continuing to create a new American security architecture in this region,” Shoigu said in a video of his address published by Russia’s defense ministry.

Shoigu said that despite being occupied with its military campaign on the western front, the Russian military in the east of the country is also on the course of modernization as it received around 400 items of modern military equipment over the past year, including SU-57 jets and anti-aircraft missile systems.

On the Ukraine conflict, Shoigu said Russian aerospace forces had so far destroyed more than 20,000 Ukrainian military facilities since the start of what Moscow calls its “special military operation”. Russian officials have blamed Kyiv for a string of drone attacks deep inside Russian territory since the beginning of the military campaign in Ukraine.

Japan is a close ally of the U.S. and is about to host the G7 meeting in May 2023. In recent times, Japan is deviating from its conventional pacificist defense strategy and increasing its focus on modernizing its military capabilities. Japan has been actively modernizing its military and plans to increase its long-range strike capabilities.

*^{Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force surface-to-air missile system. (Image Credit: Japanese Ministry of Defense)}*

The Japanese government is also making a deal with the U.S. to acquire Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles in order to reinforce its counterstrike capabilities.

Japan claims four of the southern Kuril Islands, which were seized by Soviet forces at the end of World War II. Japan does not claim Paramushir, one of the northern Kuril islands, where Russia is set to deploy its coastal defense system.

Russia and Japan have a territorial dispute over some of the Kuril Islands. Russia’s deployment of advanced defense systems in the region would increase the tensions between the two countries.

Earlier in December 2021, Russia also conducted a drill along the coast of Kuril Island, using its amphibious landing vessels to carry missile carriers.

The Bastion coastal defense system is designed to engage ground-based targets, landing craft, convoys, surface ships, and carrier battle groups. The system is armed with the P-800 Oniks supersonic anti-ship missiles capable of cruising at Mach 2.5 speeds. The P-800 Oniks can cover up to 600 km of coastline and have a 120-300 kilometers range.

^{Tactical exercises held by crews operating Bastion mobile coastal defense missile systems. Russian servicemen practice locating surface targets, providing target designation, and preparing the systems for striking during the drills. (Image Credit: Vitaly Nevar/TASS)}

The Coastal Defense systems entered service in 2015 and a year later in 2016 Russia first tested the Bastion systems armed with Oniks missiles in Syria to strike terrorist targets. At that time, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said: “These complexes are able to destroy both sea and ground targets at a distance of 350 kilometers at sea and almost 450 kilometers over land.”