Japan says to 'strongly protest' Russian military exercises on disputed islands
By: Reuters
August 13, 2014 3:36 PM
TOKYO - Japan said on Wednesday that Tokyo would "strongly protest" against Russia's military exercises on disputed Pacific islands also claimed by Japan, a row over which has strained relations between the two nations since the end of World War Two.
The exercises on the islands are a blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to court resource-rich Russia and keep the door open to dialogue with Moscow, despite the Ukraine crisis.
The dispute over the islands, which Russia seized from Japan in the waning days of World War Two, has also prevented the two countries from signing a formal peace treaty.
The islands are known as the Southern Kuriles in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan.
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