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Russia protests to Japan about joint exercises with NATO countries

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  • Russia protests to Japan about joint exercises with NATO countries
  • June 28, 2024
  • Article Body Text <p>Russia protested to Japan on Friday about Tokyo's plans to hold joint military exercises on the island of Hokkaido and accused Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of placing his country &quot;on a path to dangerous escalation.&quot;</p> <p>Russia's Foreign Ministry, in a note on its website, said a protest had been issued to Japan's embassy in connection with the announcement that drills would be held with Germany and Spain later this month.</p> <p>The note said Tokyo was told it was &quot;categorically unacceptable&quot; to engage in military activity off Russia's far eastern coast, particularly taking into account the participation of NATO members located far from the region.</p> <p>&quot;We view such activity as a potential threat to the security of the Russian Federation,&quot; the ministry statement said. &quot;It was stressed that the irresponsible policy of the administration of Prime Minister F. Kishida is placing Tokyo on a path of dangerous escalation in Northeast Asia and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.&quot;</p> <p>Russia, the statement said, had warned of countermeasures to be taken to ensure the country's defense capability.</p> <p>Japan has thrown its support behind Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbor more than two years ago.</p> <p>Tokyo and Moscow have failed to resolve a territorial dispute over four islands off Hokkaido described by Japan as the Northern Territories and by Moscow, which controls them, as the Kuril Islands.</p> <p>The dispute has prevented the two sides from concluding a peace treaty since the end of World War II, when the islands were seized by the Soviet Union.</p> <p>Japan has periodically expressed unease about Russia strengthening its military infrastructure on the disputed islands.</p>
  • Content Type Text
  • Language English
  • NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
  • Subtitles / Dubbing Available No
  • Network VOA
  • Embargo Date June 28, 2024 19:04 EDT
  • Byline Reuters
  • Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English
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