"With attention on Russia’s role in Syria and Ukraine, the Kremlin’s long-term dispute with the Japan over the Kuril Islands has fallen to the wayside. But after a Kremlin announcement Tuesday that it would construct military compounds on the islands, relations with Japan were likely to become even more strained.

“A total of 392 buildings and facilities are to be put up. Only advanced pre-fabricated structures easy to assemble will be used,” said Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, Russia state service TASS reported. “This will allow for the proper accommodation of personnel and military hardware and for making it operational.”

Among those buildings, Shoigu said construction had already begun on two military compounds on the disputed islands of Iturup and Kunashir, AFP reported. The four southern islands of the Kuril chain – Kunashir (Kunashiri in Japanese), Iturup (Etorofu in Japanese), Shikotan and Habomai – have long been claimed by both Russia and Japan. Russia refers to them as the Southern Kurils and Japan calls the islands its Northern Territories."

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