REUTERS/Issei Kato
Japan's years-long attempt to resolve a century-old territorial dispute with Russia hasn't made progress and remains a source of tension, the top US commander in Japan said this month.
Those comments were punctuated by Russia's deployment of an advanced air-defense system to the territory, part of a military build up in the region that's seen as directed at the US and Japan.
Japan's years-long effort to end a longstanding territorial dispute with Russia has been fruitless, the US's top commander in Japan said this month, an assessment underscored by simultaneous military moves by Moscow.
Under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, "there was an ongoing dialogue" with "about two dozen high-level meetings" aimed at settling the dispute over what Russia calls the Kuril Islands, Air Force Lt. Gen. Kevin Schneider, commander of US forces in Japan, said at an Air Force Association event on December 1.