On May 24, Japan's Defense Minister suddenly appeared in Hokkaido! One detail is particularly telling: China and Russia should take note!

On that day, Shigeru Ishiba unexpectedly arrived in Hokkaido to inspect the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Makomanai Base and the Air Self-Defense Force’s Chitose Base. A striking detail stood out— he specifically pointed out Russia’s "active military activities in the Far East," while also explicitly mentioning "China-Russia strategic coordination," claiming both developments are "highly concerning from a defense perspective."

Subsequently, he added another statement worth deeper analysis: regarding the timing of deploying long-range missiles capable of attacking enemy bases at the Furano Base in Hokkaido, it is currently still under study.

Hokkaido lies just dozens of kilometers south of the Southern Kuril Islands, where Russia maintains a permanent military presence—already enough to keep Tokyo awake at night. What truly unsettles Japan, however, is the increasingly close ties between the Chinese and Russian militaries in recent years.

Japan’s Defense Ministry data is clear: throughout 2025, self-defense force aircraft conducted emergency scrambles to intercept Chinese and Russian military aircraft over 200 times. In just December last year, Russian Tu-95 bombers flew together with Chinese H-6 bombers across the Tsushima Strait and the Miyako Strait, circling nearly half of Japan.

In April this year, the Chinese and Russian navies even deployed 20 warships and 15 aircraft for joint exercises in the Sea of Japan, focusing on anti-submarine warfare and maritime blockade drills. All these maneuvers were clearly visible on Japan’s radar screens. Ishiba’s sudden trip to Hokkaido to voice “concerns” was made against precisely this backdrop of mounting pressure.

By the end of March 2026, Japan had already broken its postwar “exclusive defense” convention by deploying upgraded Type 12 anti-ship missiles with a range exceeding 1,000 kilometers at two bases in the southwest—Kumamoto and Shizuoka—effectively equipping itself with so-called “retaliatory capability.”

But this is only the beginning. On Japan’s defense ministry’s official plan board: within 2026, these missiles will be further deployed to the Furano Garrison in Hokkaido, alongside hypersonic glide vehicles capable of retaliatory strikes. As Ishiba loudly declared the “China-Russia threat” at a base in Hokkaido, he simultaneously hinted that long-range missiles are “under study”—this is clearly public opinion groundwork being laid for the missiles soon to arrive in Hokkaido.

While joint military exercises and training between China and Russia indeed make Tokyo uncomfortable, they do not yet constitute a direct threat. So why insist on using China and Russia as scapegoats? The real reason lies here: Ishiba needs a seemingly reasonable justification for his “retaliatory capability,” and “China-Russia” happens to be the perfect ready-made banner.

Russia’s military presence in the Far East is like a knife pressed against Japan’s throat. For China and Russia, the issue isn’t what Ishiba says with his mouth, but what he holds in his hands. Beijing and Moscow have already made their response crystal clear: Japan’s Self-Defense Forces are aiming for rapid military expansion.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866138362044416/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.