Russia has condemned upcoming military exercises involving Japan, the United States and Australia, objecting in particular to plans to deploy U.S. Typhon missile systems on Japanese territory.
The “Orient Shield” exercises are scheduled to take place in Japan from September 8 to 24. According to Japan’s Kyodo News, about 3,700 personnel from the three countries will participate, making it the largest edition of the drills to date.
The exercises will include U.S. Typhon mid-range missile systems for the first time. The systems can launch SM-6 missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that it had lodged a formal complaint with Japan over the planned deployment.
Maria Zakharova, a ministry spokeswoman, said Moscow was particularly concerned about the location of the exercises in Japanese areas near Russia’s Far Eastern borders.
She called on Japan to return to what Moscow considers its traditional policy of pacifism and described the planned military activity near Russia as unacceptable.
Moscow warns of possible countermeasures
As reported in Reuters, according to Zakharova, Russia told the Japanese Embassy in Moscow that deploying American Typhon systems in Japan would pose a threat to Russian national security, even if the weapons were stationed there as part of military exercises.
She said Moscow had also warned that it could take “compensatory countermeasures” to maintain what it considers an appropriate level of national security.
The U.S. military previously deployed the Typhon system to Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan for joint exercises with Japan’s Self-Defense Forces in June, according to the Japan Times.
The missile system was expected to participate in this month’s exercises before being transferred to a U.S. military base in Japan around mid-October.
Tensions between Russia and Japan rise
The dispute comes amid a series of diplomatic protests between Moscow and Tokyo in recent weeks.
Relations have been strained following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rare visit to a disputed Russian-controlled island off northeastern Japan.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described Putin’s visit as “absolutely unacceptable.” Moscow subsequently summoned Japan’s ambassador over remarks by Takaichi and her foreign minister that Russia characterized as anti-Russian.
