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Japan has postponed naval war games with Russia, according to Russian media. Japan has no shortage of reasons to distance itself from a resurgent Russia.

Japan postponed a joint naval exercise with Russia scheduled to begin Sept. 9 in reaction to the Russian military’s recent operations in the Caucasus, Russian media reported. The move echoes NATO’s cancellation of war drills with Moscow; Japan is closely aligned with the United States but claimed it acted independently in halting the drills. The history of tension between Tokyo and Moscow ensures that regardless of U.S. influence, Japan will be wary of a resurgent Russia.

Russia and Japan have held joint naval rescue exercises annually since 1998, symbolizing gestures of goodwill between the two countries with historic antagonisms. In recent years, China’s rise and Russia’s increasing assertiveness have led Japan to begin shifting its military capabilities from the purely defensive toward the more offensive. After Russia’s dramatic actions in the Caucasus, Japan will want to distance itself further from its neighbor.

Land and Sea Power

The geographies of Russia and Japan have caused tensions between them, especially after Japan’s emergence on the international scene in the late 19th century. Russia mostly consists of a vast expanse of inhospitable steppe and evergreen taiga, comprising a significant chunk of the Eurasian landmass. By contrast, Japan is a tiny archipelago looping along Russia’s far easternmost corner, with broad access to the Pacific Ocean. The two countries thus have opposite natures; Russia is a virtually land-locked power with an overriding paranoia about securing its lengthy and easily traversable borders with Europe and Central Asia, while Japan is an insular sea power, adept at trade and transportation but equally wary of outsiders, especially Russia and China.