Japan claims it spotted at least 3 Russian warships near its westernmost islands

Nearly a month after at least five Russian naval ships "almost encircled Japan", Moscow has again sent its three naval vessels that passed between Japan's two westernmost islands of Yonaguni and Iriomote. Citing Japan's Defence Ministry, Kyodo News Agency reported that the repeated instances of Russian Naval forces' muscle-flexing have been reported ever since Tokyo criticised the Kremlin's unlawful action on Ukraine.

 As per the Japanese Defence Ministry, the destroyer, frigate and supply ships sailed between the islands near Taiwan from Friday through Saturday and moved into the East China Sea. 

Japan to revisit National Defense Program aimed to deter possible Russian aggression

Further, Japan's Defence Ministry said the officials were dissecting the vessel's movement and added the watercraft were on their way to return to Russia. Notably, the recent passage came amid a heightened Russian and Chinese naval existence in waters around Tokyo. Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, Japan will review its defence policy by the end of this year, reported the Japanese media agency. According to the report, Japan's national defence guidelines had been floated earlier last month to deal with inflated regional security threats by China and Russia. Citing the sources in the defence department, the media report said Japan is revising its National Defense Program Guidelines-- a policy for the next ten years.

It said the country would co-ordinate with the United States to enable the country to deal with the threats posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Supreme leader Kim Jong-un. Sources told Kyodo News that the new policy, which is also considered a politically sensitive issue in Japan, will decide "whether Japan can acquire capabilities to attack enemy bases in counterstrike". Currently, Japan has an exclusively-defence-oriented policy under the war-renouncing constitution. 

It is worth mentioning that Japan has been mulling changing its national defence policy ever since North Korea started bolstering its nuclear arsenal despite continuous warnings from the US Defence Ministry. Apart from North Korea, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has also forced Japan to ponder over its current defence strategy. Besides, China has also been intensifying its maritime assertiveness in the East and South China seas, including the Japanese-controlled, Chinese-claimed Senkaku Islands. The Communist government also bolstered its aggression against Taiwan: a self-ruled democratic island that Beijing regards as its territory.

(Image: AP/Pixabay/Representative)