Russia Holds Bombing Drills on Disputed Island, Japan Protests

The timing is the story here: Moscow gave Tokyo advance notice of the drills, yet Japan still protested formally on the first day, suggesting the notification channel is functioning but doing nothing to narrow the underlying dispute. The practical effect is to keep the territorial question live and visible rather than frozen, which matters for any future talks over the islands and for how Japan calibrates its protest posture. Whether such drills become a recurring feature, and whether the notification practice continues alongside them, is the open question.