A Japanese ship fired machine gun fire in a disputed area with Russia!

A Japanese Coast Guard patrol ship was reported to have conducted a military exercise on May 23 in the disputed area around Kunashir Island, which is part of Russia's Sakhalin region, near Hokkaido Island, by accidentally firing machine guns.

According to a report by Japan's popular broadcaster NHK, the patrol ship was conducting training exercises in the area without giving any prior navigational warnings and fired 66 machine guns. When the ship's crew realized their mistake, they immediately stopped the exercise, realizing the seriousness of the situation.

The incident has raised serious concerns among many. Because the area where the exercise was conducted is located in the Kuril Islands archipelago, a historically disputed territory between Japan and Russia, and is very close to Kunashir Island, one of its largest islands.

The Japanese Coast Guard promised to take immediate action in response to the incident. The service officials announced that strict measures will be taken to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future. It was also stated that the service personnel must undergo additional training in security and navigation issues.

It is worth recalling that Kunashir Island has long been one of the focal points of the territorial dispute between Russia and Japan. Both countries claim these islands as their own. Any military activity around this area could seriously affect relations between the two countries.

Therefore, such an unannounced exercise by the Japanese Coast Guard could cause serious objections from the public and international observers.

Experts are concerned that this incident could negatively affect relations between the two countries. Therefore, it is important for diplomats from both countries to hold appropriate negotiations to avoid escalating the situation and prevent such incidents.

So far, Russia has not issued an official response. However, the incident is expected to have an international impact. Because military actions in disputed territories have always caused serious political relations.

This incident seems to be a test of diplomatic relations between the two countries.