Tensions just sharpened in the North Pacific as Russia fires missiles near islands claimed by Japan. Days after Vladimir Putin’s first-ever visit to one of the disputed Kuril Islands, an island chain seized by the Soviet Union after World War II, Russia’s Pacific Fleet launched missiles from a nuclear submarine, a guided-missile cruiser, and coastal batteries near the islands Japan calls its Northern Territories. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi did not hold back, stating that Tokyo “cannot tolerate” Russia’s moves to strengthen its military presence there. According to confirmed reports from Japan’s Foreign Ministry and detailed accounts from Kyodo News, the live-fire drills form part of a larger exercise already underway—a clear signal that the long-running territorial dispute has entered a more confrontational phase.