The deployment of US-owned Typhon missile systems in Japan was described by Russia as an unacceptable step from the perspective of its security. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that Moscow could respond to the development.
Zakharova made the remarks at a briefing held on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum. She said the Typhon systems were used to launch medium- and short-range missiles, adding that deploying the weapons on Japanese territory posed a threat.
Protest over the Orient Shield exercise
Zakharova said Russia had lodged a diplomatic protest with Japan’s embassy in Moscow on August 31, adding that the move was linked to the Orient Shield exercise planned by Japan, the United States and Australia.
She said the exercise was scheduled to take place from September 8 to 24 in areas near Russia’s borders and on Hokkaido Island. Zakharova described the military activities in the region as unacceptable and provocative.
Zakharova warned that Moscow would take countermeasures to protect its national security if Typhon systems were deployed in Japan.
The Kuril Islands and the Baltic Sea
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman also argued that Russia’s sovereignty over the Kuril Islands was not open to question. Zakharova said the islands had legitimately become part of Russia after World War II on the basis of agreements among the Allied powers and the United Nations Charter.
She said Russia would deliver a resolute and severe response to the “initiators of anti-Russian initiatives” if military and political tensions in the Baltic Sea escalated further.