If you want to ask which country, apart from the United States, has been "the most ruthless" in sanctioning Russia since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, then Japan must be impressively listed.
Basically, as soon as the United States announces new sanctions against Russia, Japan will often follow up as soon as possible.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and US President Joe Biden
In addition, Japan has also used its dominance in the semiconductor field to impose additional sanctions on Russia, such as banning the export of 57 kinds of high-tech equipment and technology, including semiconductors, radar and communication equipment, to Russia.
If this is not enough to explain the problem, then Japan's announcement on the 12th of this month to impose sanctions on more than 400 Russian citizens, including Putin's two daughters, will be the key to the best embodiment of the "same step" between the United States and Japan.
Because as of now, the only two countries that have imposed sanctions on Putin's two daughters are the United States and Japan. And it is still the United States that first sanctions, and then Japan follows suit.
It is no exaggeration to say that Japan can indeed be called "painstaking and unscrupulous" in sanctioning Russia and "submitting a petition" to the United States.
But that's all there is to it, and the worst part is that Japan actually defended the Ukrainian "radical organization" Azov Battalion and removed it from the list of "radical organizations", which caused great dissatisfaction and anger on the Russian side.
Perhaps, it is precisely because Japan's "limelight" has become one of the main targets of Russia's counterattack.
On April 14, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict entered its 50th day, and the international community was paying attention to the upcoming decisive battle in Donbass, and the Russian army quietly "showed its sword" to Japan.
On the 14th, the Russian Pacific Fleet announced that 2 submarines of the fleet successfully tested the "caliber" cruise missile in the Sea of Japan, and hit and destroyed the "imaginary enemy" ship target on the surface.
It is reported that the two submarines carrying out the mission are the "Petropavlovsk" submarine in Kamchatka and the "Volkhov" submarine, and there are more than 15 warships and auxiliary ships, as well as naval aviation aircraft of the Pacific Fleet participating in the exercise.
Obviously, the Russian side's bright sword this time is not only a big battle, but also a very strong deterrent meaning released.
Among them, at least 4 details cannot be ignored.
1. What is the purpose of the exercise?
On the surface, the Russian Pacific Fleet held the exercise this time, mainly to test the "caliber" cruise missile.
However, the missile is not a new type of missile, and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is not over, and it is not very necessary to "test-fire".
And, even if you want to test fire, you don't have to use 15 warships and ships to participate, right? This obviously also greatly exceeds the need for "test missiles".
Perhaps, the "test missile" is just a pretext, and the real intention of the Russian military is to "show the sword" to Japan and knock and deter it.
2, the 2 submarines dispatched by the Russian army this time are not simple.
Among them, the "Petropavlovsk kamchatka" belongs to the Kilo class improved third-generation conventional submarines, and its strength is decent. But the "Walkhov" submarine is known as one of the "quietest submarines in the world", with a maximum depth of 300 meters, and can sneak into any place without warning and wait for the opportunity.
To put it simply, these 2 submarines belong to "one movement and one static", one is suitable for light, and the other is suitable for dark.
Now, these 2 submarines of different nature are unveiled at the same time, and they are still "shining swords" under the eyes of Japan, which is equivalent to telling Japan - have you been surrounded?
Not to mention, along with 2 submarines, there are 15 warships.
3, the time of the Russian army's "bright sword" is also unusual.
As mentioned above, the Russian army's sword show occurred after Japan added sanctions to Russia and "whitewashed" the Azov battalion.
But what cannot be ignored is that on the 13th, the 7th Army of the US Navy announced that the aircraft carrier strike group centered on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "Lincoln" had entered the Sea of Japan and held joint training with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force to deal with "potential" security threats around it.
That is to say, in the Sea of Japan today, there is not only the Russian Pacific Fleet, but also the US "Lincoln" aircraft carrier and the Japanese Self-Defense Force, and the two sides are exercising in the same place, which is quite "tit-for-tat" meaning.
Of course, this may also be one of the main reasons why the Russian side has set up a "big battle" to carry out exercises.
4, the location of the exercise is quite sensitive.
From the perspective of the United States and Japan, the Russian military's exercise in the Sea of Japan is a deterrent signal to the United States and Japan; but if from Russia's point of view, the Sea of Japan connects the Sea of Okhotsk and is adjacent to the Russian Khabarovsk Territory and Sakhalin Island, and the US aircraft carrier comes to the Sea of Japan to conduct exercises, which is also the most direct threat to russia.
Don't forget that as the "initiator" of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the United States does not want the Russian-Ukrainian conflict to end as soon as possible, and the longer the conflict lasts, the more favorable it will be for the United States.
Therefore, in the case that Russia and Ukraine are about to launch a decisive battle with the Donbass, and Ukraine's superiority is not obvious, it is not excluded that the United States will launch an offensive from eastern Russia to support Ukraine.
Therefore, in the face of the "menacing" of the US aircraft carrier, the Russian Pacific Fleet had to use an exercise to "destroy maritime targets" as a deterrent.
All in all, the seemingly ordinary, even somewhat "overkill" exercise launched by the Russian military is far more complex and critical than it appears on the surface.
However, no matter what, the Russian military's exercise in the Sea of Japan is the biggest threat to Japan, and the Japanese government still expresses "strong protest" to the Russian side as always, and the Russian response is also "ignored" as always.
After all, the Sea of Japan, although it has a "Japan" in its name, is not Japanese.
In addition, on the 14th, in addition to "shining the sword" to Japan, Russia also launched a new round of counterattack measures, and the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and other countries also wanted to run.
On the 14th, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that in response to the sanctions imposed by the US government on 328 Russian parliamentarians, the Russian side will launch "reciprocal" sanctions against 398 US parliamentarians, who will be permanently banned from entering Russia.
The Russian side also announced that in view of the continuous sanctions launched by the United States against Russia, the Russian side will further expand the sanctions list and take other retaliatory measures in the future.
It should be noted that the United States sanctioned 328 Russian parliamentarians, while the Russian side sanctioned 398 US parliamentarians, which is actually not a "reciprocal countermeasure", but a "double return".
At the same time, Russia also announced sanctions against 87 Canadian MPs and 203 British MPs. As for Australia, which recently delivered 20 Viper armored vehicles to Ukraine, the Russian side once again warned that any foreign vehicle transporting weapons in Ukraine would become a legitimate target for the Russian military.
On the 14th, the Russian side also said that the Russian military drone can automatically identify NATO equipment, and then upload location information, and the whole process takes only a few seconds to complete.
The implication is that if the "hand" of the United States and Western countries, including Australia, reaches into Ukraine, the Russian side will not hesitate to "cut it off."
Don't think that the Russian warning is a "joke", since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, there have been a large number of Weapons and Equipment aided by the West in Ukraine that have "died" in transit.
Among them, at the end of March, two Mi-8 helicopters carrying the commander of the Azov battalion to prepare to "run" were shot down by the Russian side with "captured" US-made "Stinger" missiles.
Finally, let's have a few sighs.
This huge and protracted Russian-Ukrainian conflict, while bringing countless turbulence and chaos to the international situation, is also profoundly changing the world pattern.
For example, the United States, Britain, and other countries, which are keen to "stir up trouble," have taken advantage of this opportunity to wantonly export weapons and equipment to the outside world and make war fortunes; Japan, Germany, Australia, Canada, and other countries have expanded their armed forces and tried to rearm under the banner of "international tensions and threats to security"; India, Turkey, and other countries have "left and right", on the one hand, they have purchased Russian natural gas and oil at low prices, and on the other hand, they intend to take advantage of the withdrawal of Western capital from Russia and seize market share.
Of course, the most noteworthy thing is how this intensifying Russian-Ukrainian conflict will end? Will the United States, Britain, Japan, Australia, Canada, and other countries, which have been eyeing the tiger, "insert a foot" at the crucial moment and directly intervene in the conflict?
Everything is full of unknowns, but also contains risks and insecurity.
In short, it is still hoped that this conflict can be calmed down at an early date, and that all international parties can maintain reason and restraint and resolve contradictions and disputes through peaceful means.
After all, conflict and sanctions are never the solution to the problem.