Lyn Buchanan was on. One of the things he mentions is that some Russian general who was on some Russian show, mentions that the Russians tested out their earthquake weapon on Fukushima. Lyn says that this general was very drunk and when he said this, the show abruptly ended. I was looking to see if Russia had any beef with Japan right before Fukushima, so I asked chatgpt.
Yes—there were tensions between Russia and Japan before the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in March 2011 , mainly related to a long-running territorial dispute and some political friction.
Here are the key issues that were happening right before Fukushima:
1. The Kuril Islands / Northern Territories Dispute
The biggest issue was control of the Kuril Islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories.
Disputed islands:
- Etorofu (Iturup)
- Kunashiri (Kunashir)
- Shikotan
- Habomai islets
History:
- The Soviet Union seized them from Japan at the end of World War II.
- Japan still claims them.
- Because of this dispute, Russia and Japan never signed a formal WWII peace treaty .
This dispute regularly causes diplomatic tension.
2. Russian Presidential Visit (Late 2010)
In November 2010, the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev visited one of the disputed islands (Kunashir).
This was significant because:
- It was the first visit by a Russian or Soviet leader to the islands.
- Japan strongly protested the visit.
- Japan temporarily recalled its ambassador from Moscow .
This created one of the most serious diplomatic tensions in years .
3. Military and Strategic Concerns
Around 2010–2011:
Russia announced plans to:
- Strengthen military presence on the disputed islands.
- Deploy missile systems and troops there.
Japan viewed this as a provocation.
4. Relationship Right Before Fukushima
So right before March 2011:
Relations were:
- Tense diplomatically
- Focused on the territorial dispute
- But not close to war or military confrontation
5. What Happened After Fukushima
After the earthquake and nuclear crisis:
- Russia actually offered assistance to Japan .
- Tensions temporarily cooled as Japan dealt with the disaster.
The territorial dispute continued afterward, but Fukushima itself wasn’t caused by geopolitical conflict .
Summary:
Yes, there were tensions between Russia and Japan before Fukushima, mainly over the Kuril Islands dispute and a controversial Russian presidential visit in 2010 , but they were diplomatic tensions, not military escalation .
3. The stock-trading suspicion
After the disaster, some analysts and conspiracy researchers pointed to unusual market activity before the earthquake, such as:
- heavy trading in nuclear-related companies
- speculation about utilities connected to the Fukushima plant
- discussions about derivatives tied to Japanese insurers
These claims circulate online, but investigations by regulators and financial analysts didn’t find evidence of coordinated insider trading tied to foreknowledge of the earthquake.