Apr 02 (NHK) - Russia has begun more military drills following one a week ago in an area that includes islands it controls but are claimed by Japan.
The move is seen as an attempt by Moscow to send a warning to Japan, which imposed sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine.
The Russian defense ministry announced on its website on Friday that more than 1,000 Army troops and about 200 military vehicles are taking part in the drills on two islands, Etorofu and Kunashiri in Japanese.
The two are part of the four islands Japan calls the Northern Territories. The Japanese government maintains they are an inherent part of Japan's territory. It says the islands were illegally occupied after World War Two.
The Russian ministry says the troops are practicing procedures to launch anti-tank missiles and use state-of-the-art drones to locate targets for artillery batteries.
It announced on the same day that a drill was also conducted on the island of Matua, northeast of the four islands. They say a surface-to-ship missile system called Bastion was used to practice blocking the landing of a potential enemy.
Russia conducted military drills with more than 3,000 troops in the area in late March, following its unilateral decision to suspend talks on a peace treaty with Japan. Japan has been protesting these moves. Russia also designated Japan as one of the countries that took "unfriendly" action against Moscow.
