What would be the value (economical, strategical) of those islands for Japan? Apart from the sentimental one?
Japan has declared today that the southern Kurils is their sovereign territory
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Re: Japan has declared today that the southern Kurils is their sovereign territory
#12Russia can't afford to open another front
Re: Japan has declared today that the southern Kurils is their sovereign territory
#13Just yesterday I was thinking: What if others started to grab territory, which Russia claims to be its territory around the world now? Wouldn't that be fortunate timing and overload Russian army?
Today I read this.
Re: Japan has declared today that the southern Kurils is their sovereign territory
#14Many people are tempted to compare the claim to the Russian argument in Dombass: it’s a much smaller claim (20k inhabitants), a consistent one since 1945. The population is notoriously isolated, too.
It was given to the Soviet Union when Japan lost in WW2, basically, so the claim has a rather different background.
Re: Japan has declared today that the southern Kurils is their sovereign territory
#15This is different because we like Japan but we don't like Russia. If Russia didn't want the entire world to turn on them, they shouldn't have illegally invaded Afghanistan.
Re: Japan has declared today that the southern Kurils is their sovereign territory
#16What would be the value (economical, strategical) of those islands for Japan? Apart from the sentimental one?
Russian bombers, fighter jets, missiles launched from those Iislands can reach Hokkaido and/or Tokio much quicker than when launched from more northern islands, leaving less time for countermeasures. Same for ground troops.
Re: Japan has declared today that the southern Kurils is their sovereign territory
#17What would be the value (economical, strategical) of those islands for Japan? Apart from the sentimental one?
None whatsoever. But that is exactly the point of reaffirming their claim now. Russia can choose to climb down over something insignificant in order to gain a potential ally. Japan would thereby become a credible broker for peace.
Re: Japan has declared today that the southern Kurils is their sovereign territory
#18Just yesterday I was thinking: What if others started to grab territory, which Russia claims to be its territory around the world now? Wouldn't that be fortunate timing and overload Russian army? Today I read this.
Just yesterday I was thinking: What if we piss off a nuclear power all around the world now? Wouldn't that be fortunate timing to solve global warming?
FTFY. I mean sure we only have another 50 years before the planet is unlivable for us, but why desperately try to accelerate it?
EDIT: here is Russias military doctrine from 2000 https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2000-05/russias-military-doc...
Re: Japan has declared today that the southern Kurils is their sovereign territory
#19What would be the value (economical, strategical) of those islands for Japan? Apart from the sentimental one?
Russian bombers, fighter jets, missiles launched from those Iislands can reach Hokkaido and/or Tokio much quicker than when launched from more northern islands, leaving less time for countermeasures. Same for ground troops.
It's a few tens of kilometers. Not significant.
Re: Japan has declared today that the southern Kurils is their sovereign territory
#20Königsberg anyone?