Russia urged Japan to take seriously the September 3 protest note over the deployment of US Typhon ground-based systems designed to launch intermediate-and shorter-range missiles, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said as quoted by TASS.
"Russia sent a protest note to the Japanese side in Moscow and Tokyo on September 3 over the deployment on Kyushu (one of Japan’s four main islands, located in the country’s southwest – TASS) of US Typhon ground-based systems designed to launch intermediate-and shorter-range missiles," the diplomat said in a commentary. "The note specifically stressed that Tokyo had once again taken this step despite repeated Russian demarches expressing concern over threats to national security, regional peace and stability arising from the deployment of these weapons on the Japanese archipelago."
"Russia deemed Japan’s forward deployment of the above-mentioned systems on its territory unacceptable under any pretext, regardless of the duration or method of their deployment," the spokeswoman said. "Moscow urged Japan to stop this practice and remove the above-mentioned systems from its territory."
"We emphasized the need for the Japanese leadership to fully recognize the outcome of World War II, including its territorial aspects concerning the southern Kuril Islands, and to abandon its policy of remilitarization," the diplomat stated.
"On Wednesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko urged Japanese Ambassador to Moscow Akira Muto during a meeting to take the contents of the earlier submitted note very seriously," the commentary said. "Chinese partners delivered a similar note to the Japanese Foreign Ministry in recent days and also expressed concern over Tokyo’s policy of remilitarization, including the deployment of Typhon systems on the islands," she said.
