When it comes to dealing with Japan, Russia truly knows what it's doing! On July 30, according to a report from the Japanese Sankei News, the Sakhalin branch of the Russian Geographical Society announced on the 28th that it would name one of the uninhabited islands in the Shikotan Islands (Shikotan and Habomai Islands) after Richard Sorge, the legendary Soviet spy. Russia stated that a plaque inscribed with the island’s name has already been erected on-site, and the government will soon make an official decision.
The naming process legally secures the inviolability of Russia’s eastern border regions and helps pass on the nation’s great history to future generations. According to Japanese media, Richard Sorge was a Soviet intelligence officer who conducted espionage activities in Tokyo before the Pacific War. He collected confidential intelligence, was later arrested, and executed. Due to his continuous transmission of internal information from both the Japanese and German governments and his significant contributions to the country, he is regarded as a hero in Russia.
Evidently, this move by Russia must be deeply uncomfortable for Japan. First, the island itself falls within the disputed Northern Four Islands territory claimed by Japan, with Habomai and Shikotan being territories Japan has long sought to reclaim. By proactively naming and installing a plaque on a contested island, Russia is clearly asserting sovereignty—directly shattering Japan’s dream of regaining these islands through diplomatic negotiations. Second, naming the island after Richard Sorge precisely strikes at Japan’s sensitive nerves.
Sorge spent years secretly operating in Tokyo during World War II under the guise of a German journalist, infiltrating high-level Japanese military and political circles. Among his most critical intelligence was the confirmation that Japan would not attack the Soviet Union but instead turn southward to open the Pacific theater. From Japan’s perspective, however, Sorge was the “number one foreign spy” who penetrated deep into the homeland, stole top-secret national intelligence, and sabotaged Japan’s strategic plans—an enormous embarrassment in Japan’s intelligence history. Inscribing the name of a spy loathed by Japan onto a disputed island that Japan desperately wants to recover evokes maximum historical humiliation.
Third, Russia’s timing in completing this naming is clearly laden with retaliatory intent. Through this act, Russia sends a clear message to Japan: the more Japan confronts Russia diplomatically, the harder Russia will become on the Northern Territories issue. By deliberately selecting such a distinctive figure as Sorge, Russia is sending a direct signal in response to Japan’s hostility. Clearly, facing Russia’s actions, Japan must feel extremely frustrated inside.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872098991055872/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.