Japan Concern Over Its Neighbors Will Result With It Having An Increased Military

Japanese Alarm At Rise In Russian Military Activity
-- The Telegraph

Japan has warned of an increasing Russian military presence in North-East Asia, with additional exercises and incursions into Japanese territory in the last 12 months by naval and airborne forces.

Tokyo's annual white paper on defence underlined the instability in the region by adding a resurgent Russia to the traditional threats to peace posed by China and North Korea.

Released on Friday, The Defence of Japan 2008 expresses particular concern over Moscow's muscle-flexing in the region, pointing out that it comes at a time of heightened tension with the West over Georgia.

"Russian military operations seem to be increasingly more active in the vicinity of Japan, including exercises and training, in association with the recovery of troop skill levels," the 425-page report states. "These are trends that require close monitoring."

The study cites an increase in the number of exercises and patrols by warships of the Vladivostock-based Russian Pacific Fleet, including nuclear-powered submarines, and long-range aircraft.

On February 9th, aircraft of the Japan Air Self-Defence Forces were scrambled to intercept a Tu-95MS Bear bomber within Japanese air space over the Izu chain of islands, south of Tokyo. It was the first time a Russian military aircraft had been detected operating in the area since 1975.

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My Comment: It is only a matter of time before Japan starts to increase its military forces and assets. News reports like the above will only hasten this development.