Japan has warned that Russia’s growing military activity in the Far East is raising serious security concerns, as Tokyo steps up preparations to defend its northern frontier amid rising regional tensions.
Defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi said during a visit to military bases in Hokkaido on Saturday that Russia’s posture in the region, combined with its deepening strategic cooperation with China, required Japan to maintain a “highly robust” and continuously ready defensive capability.
“The military activities of Russia in the region are a cause for serious concern along with its strategic cooperation with China,” Koizumi was reported as saying by broadcaster NHK.
He added that while Japan must continue strengthening defences in its south-western islands, Hokkaido remained a “vital region” requiring sustained military readiness.
“Even as the importance of strengthening the defence of the south-western regions grows, Hokkaido remains a vital region, and it is necessary to continue maintaining an impeccable defence system here,” he said.
The comments come amid growing concern in Tokyo that Russia could increase pressure in the Pacific theatre as part of a broader pattern of regional military assertiveness, potentially complicating Japan’s already strained security environment.
Japanese officials have been increasingly focused on activity around the Sea of Okhotsk, north of Hokkaido, where Russia is believed to have expanded deployments of aircraft and missile systems. Analysts cited by Japanese media say Su-35 fighter jets and anti-ship missile systems have been deployed in areas that cover the disputed Northern Territories, known in Russia as the Southern Kuril Islands.
The islands, controlled by Russia but claimed by Japan, remain a long-running source of diplomatic tension between the two countries and have prevented the signing of a formal peace treaty since the Second World War.
Concerns have also grown over increased joint military exercises between Russian and Chinese forces in and around the wider Indo-Pacific region, which Japanese defence officials say contribute to a more complex and uncertain strategic environment.
A visiting researcher at Kanazawa University, Shingo Nagata, said Hokkaido was increasingly being treated as a key frontline in Japan’s defence planning.
“In light of these mounting tensions, Hokkaido has undoubtedly become the forefront of Japan’s national defence, alongside the southwestern region,” he said.
He added that Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force had been rehearsing rapid redeployment drills in anticipation of potential contingency scenarios involving Russian military activity in the region.
There are also concerns in Tokyo over Russia’s naval modernisation in the Pacific, including the reported expansion of submarine infrastructure on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Japanese officials have highlighted the deployment of nuclear-powered submarines, including the Khabarovsk, as part of a broader shift towards enhanced undersea warfare capability.
Koizumi said monitoring Russia’s submarine fleet would remain a central security priority for Japan as the regional balance of power continues to evolve.
“For this reason, the movements of Russia’s nuclear submarine fleet will remain a major security concern for Japan,” he said.
The warnings reflect a broader reassessment in Tokyo of its defence posture as it seeks to respond to simultaneous pressures from both the north and south, with officials increasingly describing the current security environment as the most challenging since the end of the Cold War.
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