Moscow: The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged a strongly-worded protest note with the Japanese Embassy in Moscow on Thursday over Japan's plans to conduct military exercises involving the SSM-1 anti-ship missile system near Russia's eastern borders.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the planned drills pose a direct threat to regional security and risk destabilizing the region, as stated by the Ministry and carried by the state-run news agency RIA Novosti. The provocative move could foment tension in the Asia-Pacific region and hamper efforts aimed at cementing mutual trust, according to the statement.
Moscow expressed its intent to keep a wary eye on the developments in the region and warned that it would take necessary steps to protect its security interests. Tokyo had announced plans for conducting the missile drills in June on Hokkaido Island, the northernmost prefecture of Japan, near the disputed Kuril Islands. Equipped with Type-88 missiles, the SSM-1 system covers a range of 200 kilometers.