Russia planned to attack Japan in 2021 according to leaked FSB letters: Report

Russia in 2021 was preparing to attack Japan just months before Russia's President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, new leaked letters from the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB), the successor agency to the Soviet Union's KGB accessed by Newsweek revealed. An email sent by a whistleblower at FSB dubbed 'Wind of Change' on March 17 to Russian human-rights activist Vladimir Osechkin revealed that Russia president Vladimir Putin was "quite seriously preparing for a localized military conflict with Japan" in August. This came just months before Russia launched a military intervention in neighbouring Ukraine. 

"Confidence that the countries would enter the stage of acute confrontation and even war was high. Why Ukraine was chosen for war in the end [the scenario was not changed much] is for others to answer," the email read. 

Movements of Russian helicopters to target Japan 

The FSB whistleblower detailed the movements of Russian helicopters that were preparing to target Japan. Russia's cyber propaganda machine was launched around the same time that was labellong the Japanese as "Nazis" and "fascists." Ties between Russia and Japan thrawted over signing of the peace treaty to formally end World War II which wasn't done by the governments on wither side. The two countries also have bilateral disputes over a group of islands occupied by Russia, that Japan lays its sovereign claims on. 

In March, Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi referred to the Kuril Islands as an integral part of Japan and not Russia. During a debate in the National Diet (Parliament), he termed the region as the original territories of Japan. Affirming that Japan's stance on the long-standing disputed territory remains unchanged, the Minister said the islands are 'primordially Japanese' escalating tensions.  Japanese Minister stressed that Russia's occupation in the Islands contradicts international rules based order as he also slammed invasion of Ukraine. Moscow meanwhile responded saying that it would give a Russian name to the Kuril Islands. While Moscow terms the isles part of its Kuril chain, Japan calls its Northern Territories.

Kuril Islands dispute between Japan & Russia

Japan lays territorial claims on what Russia calls the Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai islands in Kuril Island chain. Russia argues that based on the 1855 bilateral treaty on trade and borders, the Kremlin holds the rights and sovereignty on the archipalago. Both Soviet Union and Japan in 1956 signed a declaration wherein Moscow agreed to consider the chances of transferring the Shikotan and Habomai islands to Japan, while the Iturup, Kunashir islands were not mentioned in the enforceable contract. While Japan continued to consider the un-named islands as part of the solution to the issue, it did not even up its claims to all the islands. Japan has also repeatedly raised strong objections to Russia conducting military drills close to the South Kuril Islands after being informed of the firing drills near the Kunashir Islands.