Russia Voices Concern over Japan-U.S.-Australia Drills

Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–Russia has expressed concern to the Japanese Embassy in Moscow over joint defense drills among Japan, the United States and Australia scheduled for Sept. 8-24, Russian news agency Tass reported Tuesday. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow told the embassy that “provocative military activity near the Far Eastern borders is categorically unacceptable,” according to Tass. The Orient Shield 26 joint drills are planned to be held mainly in Japan’s northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido. Zakharova mentioned the planned deployment of the U.S. Typhon midrange missile system during the drill. Its deployment on Japanese territory is “absolutely unacceptable” even during an exercise as it threatens Russia’s security, she claimed. The Russian side warned about “retaliatory measures aimed at ensuring an adequate level of national security,” Zakharova added. According to the Japanese Defense Ministry, a total of as many as 3,700 personnel are expected to participate in the joint drills, conducting live-fire and transport exercises mainly at a training ground in Hokkaido. The Typhon missile system has been temporarily deployed at the Kanoya air base of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, since June. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]