President Dmitry Medvedev’s decision to visit Kunashir Island, the closest of the disputed Southern Kuril Islands to Japan, has caused a significant deterioration in relations between the two countries, coming only shortly after the dispute with the Chinese which led to a suspension of rare earth metals exports.  The message to Japan and others in the Asian sphere seems clear:  the rules of the game are changing.

From Fred Weir in Christian Science Monitor:

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan told parliament Monday that Mr. Medvedev’s decision to become the first Soviet or Russian leader to set foot on land Japan regards as its own was “extremely regrettable.” Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said the visit “hurts our national sentiment,” and called in the Russian ambassador to Tokyo to deliver an official note of protest.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov slammed back, telling journalists that the Japanese reaction to Medvedev’s visit was “unacceptable,” adding, “this is our land and the Russian president visited Russian land. It’s an entirely domestic matter.” (…)