Russia has announced plans to build five military bases, including one on the Kuril Islands. The Soviet Union seized the islands from Japan at the end of World War II. The proposed bases are a small part of Russian efforts to increase and protect trade with Asian economies.

The news of the building project on the Kurils will further strain relations between Russia and Japan. The Japanese government - which calls the islands the Northern Territories - contends the Kurils belong to them.

“If the plan is true, the Japanese government will strongly protest it,” said Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga. “We are unchanged in our stance that the islands are Japanese sovereign territories.”

Russia’s military spending has increased by $600 billion over the past 10 years. The Russian navy’s Pacific Fleet is made up of 73 vessels: 50 warships and 23 submarines. In recent years, Russia has been developing closer ties with China. Both Japan and Russia know the importance of the Kurils.