Moscow strongly condemned the upcoming joint military exercise by Japan, Australia and the US, called “Orient Shield”, which will take place from 8 to 24 September with the participation of 3,700 troops. The Russian Foreign Ministry lodged an official complaint with the Japanese Embassy.

Russia is particularly concerned about the deployment of US Typhon medium range ground based missile systems, capable of launching Tomahawk and SM6 missiles, near its borders in the Far East.

Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described these activities as a categorically unacceptable threat to national security and warned of possible countermeasures by Moscow.

Relations between the two countries have further deteriorated following President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to the disputed island of Iturup, off the northeast coast of Japan, which Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described as “absolutely unacceptable”.

The Typhon missile system will be moved to a US base in Japan in mid October following the exercises, while Russia is calling on Tokyo to return to a policy of pacifism.

(Reuters, max)