Japan has accelerated its tilt towards NATO, planning to carry out a very threatening military exercise on the Russian border, and in the face of the situation of being attacked by the enemy on the belly, Russian President Vladimir Putin shot the first bird, and 40 Russian warships blocked the Sea of Japan.
Russia is already under tremendous pressure in the western direction, and what worries Russian President Vladimir Putin even more is that Japan is becoming more and more dishonest. Japan's Ministry of Defense previously announced that in July this year, Japan's Air Self-Defense Force will conduct a series of joint military exercises with the air forces of Germany, France and Spain in Japan. It has been learned that the three countries will send more than 30 military planes into Japan, including fighter planes, transport planes, and refueling planes, and this will be the first time that the air forces of the three countries will appear in Japan at the same time, and this is a threat to Russia that should not be underestimated.
For a long time, Russia's military deployment has shown an obvious trend of "emphasizing the west and ignoring the east", and almost all the main forces of the Russian army have been assembled in the west, especially after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Russia's courage to do this is, to a large extent, a judgment that Japan does not dare to mess around and that it poses a limited threat to itself. In recent years, however, Japan's tendency to lean toward NATO has become more and more obvious, and although NATO's plan to set up an office in Japan has been put on hold for the time being, everyone can see that the Tokyo authorities are trying to strengthen military cooperation with NATO. This time, the three NATO military powers sent troops into Japan, which set a very bad precedent, suggesting that Japan could become a bridgehead for NATO troops in the future, and NATO's air power could move against Russia from this direction. Russia's air defense forces in the Far East are much less tight than in the European direction, and this interaction between Japan and NATO makes it clear at a glance the threat posed to Russia.
Needless to say, in the face of Japan, which is eager to try, Putin will certainly not remain indifferent. On the 28th, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a warning, pointing out that Japan will never be allowed to carry out provocative military operations on the borders of the Russian Far East in cooperation with NATO. Before the Russian Foreign Ministry's warning, the Russian army had already launched an operation in advance. Starting from the 18th of this month, the Russian military held maritime military exercises in the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan, which will last for 10 days, with the participation of more than 40 ships, small boats and support ships. Putin's move is equivalent to shooting a shot in the head, and through targeted military exercises, he reminds Japan and other countries not to collude with NATO.
However, Japan can be said to be determined to strengthen cooperation with NATO, and one or two military exercises alone may not be enough to make Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida change his mind, and Putin will not fail to understand this. So, in addition to conducting military exercises on Japan's doorstep, what other means does Putin have to "knock" Japan?
Now it seems that Putin is most likely to counter Japan with three moves.
First of all, Russia's long-range strike firepower is a major advantage of the Russian army over Japan. Russia could put pressure on Japan by sending strategic bombers on patrol or conducting submarine-launched missile exercises in the Pacific.
Second, Russia may also further enhance its ability to counter Japan by deploying medium-range missiles in the Far East as a response to the approach of Japan and NATO.
Finally, Russia can also enhance the cooperative combat capability of China and Russia in the western Pacific region by strengthening Sino-Russian military cooperation, so as to send a signal to Japan that neither China nor Russia welcomes Japan's pulling NATO into the western Pacific region!
All in all, the situation facing Russian President Vladimir Putin is indeed very serious, with Ukraine and NATO in the west, and an increasingly restless Japan in the east. However, Russia has China, a firm partner, and with China on its back, Russia will not be alone, and Japan wants to turn the Western Pacific into NATO territory, Russia does not agree, and China does not agree! In the face of the two big countries, China and Russia, Japan had better think twice, and if the Tokyo authorities insist on colluding with NATO, then China and Russia will certainly not turn a blind eye to this!