Russia protested on Friday against Tokyo’s plans to hold joint military exercises on the
island of Hokkaido, and accused Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of placing his country “on a path to dangerous escalation”.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry, in a note on its website, said a protest had been issued to Japan’s embassy following he announcement that drills would be held with Germany and
Spain later this month.
The note said Tokyo was told it was “categorically unacceptable” 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.
“We view such activity as a potential threat to the security of the Russian Federation,” the ministry statement said.
“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.”
Russia, the statement said, had warned of counter-measures to be taken to ensure the country’s defence capability.
Japan has thrown its support behind Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbour more than two years ago.
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.
The dispute has prevented the two sides concluding a peace treaty since the end of World War Two, when the islands were seized by the Soviet Union.
Japan has periodically expressed unease about Russia strengthening its military infrastructure on the disputed islands.
(REUTERS)
In a career spanning three decades and counting, Ramananda (Ram to his friends) has been the foreign editor of The Telegraph, Outlook Magazine and the New Indian Express. He helped set up rediff.com’s editorial operations in San Jose and New York, helmed sify.com, and was the founder editor of India.com.
His work has featured in national and international publications like the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, Global Times and Ashahi Shimbun. But his one constant over all these years, he says, has been the attempt to understand rising India’s place in the world.
He can rustle up a mean salad, his oil-less pepper chicken is to die for, and all it takes is some beer and rhythm and blues to rock his soul.
Talk to him about foreign and strategic affairs, media, South Asia, China, and of course India.
