Russia Announces Bomber Drill on Disputed Island Near Japan

Russia has notified Japan of plans to hold bombing exercises this week on one of four disputed islands off Hokkaido, a source at Japan's Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

The notification comes as relations between Tokyo and Moscow remain stalled over a territorial dispute that has dragged on for decades.

The four islands, called the Northern Territories by Japan and the Kuril Islands by Russia, have been a flashpoint in bilateral ties since the Soviet Union seized them at the end of World War II.

Because the dispute remains unresolved, the two countries have still not signed a formal peace treaty.