South China Morning Post: Japan is afraid of the nightmare scenario prepared by Russia

Japan is concerned about the strengthening alliance between Russia and China, as reflected in a new security report published by the newspaper South China Morning Post. The report, prepared by the National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS), affiliated with Japan’s Ministry of Defense, points to growing competition between the United States and the China-Russia bloc in the coming decade.

Of particular concern in Tokyo are the joint exercises of the Chinese and Russian navies and air forces in the Sea of ​​Japan, as well as joint maneuvers near the Japanese islands earlier this year.

This NIDS report correlates with the content of several white papers and studies conducted in Japan in recent years, according to international relations professor Garren Malloy of Daito Bunka University. Tokyo is concerned about strengthening cooperation and coordination between the Chinese and Russian militaries during exercises near Japan, although this is only part of a “nightmare scenario” for Japan.

The professor notes that this emerging alliance is not the worst situation for Japan, but it still poses a certain threat. The worst-case scenario would be a strengthening of this alliance and the withdrawal of US troops from the Indo-Pacific region.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly emphasized that after the start of the special operation in Ukraine, Tokyo adopted a hostile position towards Moscow. Diplomats pointed to the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions, the transfer of weapons to Kyiv, the incitement of Russophobic sentiments in Japanese society and the increase in military activity of Japan, the United States and NATO near the Far Eastern borders of Russia.