Kunashir blasts triggered by munition disposal rather than drill

TOKYO, July 13 (Itar-Tass) -- Outdated ammunition were being disposed
on the South Kuril island of Kunashir some time ago and the explosions,
which were heard on the island, "were not linked with any military
exercises," the Russian Embassy in Tokyo said in reply to a request from
the authorities in the Japanese city of Nemuro, from which Kunashir is
seen in a good weather. The request was passed to the municipality through
the Japanese Foreign Ministry, local media said.
Nemuro and several other settlements on the northernmost Japanese
Island of Hokkaido have heard strong blasts on Kunashir since last April.
Local residents affirmed that the windows and the walls were shaking in
their houses.
The Nemuro authorities addressed in the Japanese Foreign Ministry to
make the situation clear.