In addition, it is perceived in some Russian circles that "if the islands were regained by Japan, it would encourage other countries to pursue claims in other Russian regions and accomplish their conspiracy of altering the history of World War II." [14]
The Russian Pacific Fleet is based in Vladivostok, south of the Sea of Okhotsk which is enclosed by Kamchatka to the northeast, Sakhalin Island to the southwest and the Kuril Islands to the southeast. But Russia maintains a submarine base in Vilyuchinsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula which hosts Russian strategic nuclear-powered submarines, including the new Borey class variety. Foreign control of the Kurils could impede the Russian navy's ability to move part of its strategic nuclear triad, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, from the North Pacific Ocean in and out of the Sea of Okhotsk where they would be less exposed and vulnerable, especially in the event of hostilities.
"The Kurils are the gateway to the sea of Okhotsk, which lies off the coast of Russia's far east. Control of the islands have been crucial for Russia, which has given it access to the Pacific Ocean.
"Russia has built a military base on Shikotan island [in the South Kuril chain], while also placing border forces on the four islands.
"On top of the military importance, the islands hold vast mineral wealth, together with about 160 million tons of natural gas and nearly 1,900 tons of gold and other valuable metals like silver, titanium, sulfur and rhenium. The total value of the four islands has been estimated to be 50 billion US dollars." [15]
North of the Russian Kurils lies Sakhalin Island, which according to a U.S. Energy Information Agency estimate contains seven billion barrels of oil and 80 trillion cubic feet of natural gas [16] as well a wealth of other resources.
The Japanese government's brazenness on the island conflict can only be understood within the context of the U.S. recruiting Japan as not only a strategic military ally in East Asia but internationally while reciprocating by backing Japan to the hilt against both Russia and China.
In mid-January U.S. Defense Secretary Gates was in Japan to meet with senior government leaders including Defense Minister Kitazawa - in 2007 the Japan Defense Agency was elevated to the status of Ministry of Defense - and stated:
"As our alliance grows and deepens further still, it will be important for Japan to take on an even greater regional and global leadership role that reflects its political, economic and military capacity." [17]
In the past decade Japan has violated the spirit if not the exact letter of its constitution's Article 9 by deploying troops to a combat zone for the first time since World War Two in Iraq and by supplying U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization warships for the war in Afghanistan, where it has now assigned military personnel - medics - for NATO's International Security Assistance Force. Joining U.S., French and other NATO nations' forces there, it will soon open its first foreign military base since World War Two in Djibouti in northeastern Africa. [18]
In addition to recently joining a U.S.-engineered tripartite military alliance with South Korea [19] and extending its operational integration with the U.S. into the Indian Ocean, Japan is also forging defense ties with Georgia, which fought a five-day war with Russia in 2008. Earlier this month Hiroshi Oe, director general for International Affairs in the Bureau of Defense Policy of the Japanese Defense Ministry, visited Georgia and in a closed-door meeting with the country's deputy foreign minister discussed "further prospects of military cooperation between Georgia and Japan." [20]
While Gates was in Japan he promoted further interceptor missile collaboration, which he praised as "one of the most advanced of its kind in the world" [21] - Japan is the U.S.'s only partner in developing the Standard Missile-3 interceptor for use on ships and for land-based deployments in Romania, Poland and the Eastern Mediterranean Sea - and advocated that "Japan consider three U.S. planes to upgrade their fleet": The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the F/A-18 Hornet the F-15 Eagle. [22]
Regarding the development of an international missile shield, Gates and Defense Minister Kitazawa agreed "to speed talks on the possibility of providing jointly developed sea-based missile-shield systems to other countries....Japan and the U.S. jointly developed the ballistic missile interception system, the Standard Missile-3....The U.S. is keen to boost its missile defense in Europe and wants SM-3 interceptors there." [23]
For there, read along Russia's Western flank from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea and eventually into the South Caucasus.
According to an official U.S. armed forces source, Gates also maintained that "The U.S. needs troops in Japan for the long term to keep China's rising power in check and contain North Korea's aggressive nuclear and missile aspirations." [24]
Late last year the U.S. and Japan conducted their largest joint war games in history, Keen Sword 2011, with 60 warships, including the USS George Washington nuclear-powered aircraft carrier - whose home port is the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan - accompanied by carrier and expeditionary strike groups, 400 aircraft and 44,000 troops.
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