"Japan and Russia have exchanged heated comments over the disputed southern Kuril islands in the Pacific Ocean

Japan's PM Naoto Kan called a visit by Russia's president to the islands last year an "unforgivable outrage".

Mr Kan was speaking during a rally in Tokyo held to demand the return of the islands, which were occupied by Soviet troops at the end of World War II.

Russian FM Sergei Lavrov responded by saying that Mr Kan's remarks were "clearly undiplomatic"."

COMMENTARY

Conspiracy theorist amongst us might wonder why this old argument has resurfaced again in 2011? Coming so close after Japan announced that it was shifting its military focus from North to South, From Russia to China, one has to wonder why Russia would then deliberately draw Japan's military attention back on to it and the north?

Could China be incentivizing Russia? Who can tell? But something is amiss here...