Russia is "actively carrying out construction of military compounds on the islands of Iturup and Kunashir", Shoigu said at a meeting with military top brass, according to the ministry's website.
Relations between Moscow and Tokyo have been strained for decades because of the status of the four southernmost islands in the Kuril chain, known as the Northern Territories in Japan.
Some 19,000 Russians live on the remote rocky islands, occupied by Soviet troops in the dying days of World War II.
The two countries have never officially struck a peace treaty and the lingering tensions over the issue have hampered trade ties for decades .... http://news.yahoo.com
