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Japanese PM says US withdrawal from INF Treaty undesirable

According to Abe, "Japan highly values the treaty’s historic role in the disarmament process"

© EPA-EFE/KIYOSHI OTA/POOL

TOKYO, October 30. /TASS/. The United States’ withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) would be undesirable, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a plenary meeting of the parliament’s upper house on Tuesday.

According to Abe, "Japan highly values the treaty’s historic role in the disarmament process." "We believe it is an undesirable situation when the Unites States announces its plans to pull out of the treaty and claims that Russia has been violating it," the Japanese prime minister added. At the same time, Abe declined to comment on talks between Washington and Moscow on the issue and the two countries’ arguments.

INF Treaty situation

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On October 20, US President Donald Trump said that Washington would pull out of the INF Treaty because Russia had allegedly violated it.

The INF Treaty was concluded on December 8, 1987, and took effect on June 1, 1988. It applies to deployed and non-deployed ground-based missiles of intermediate range (1,000-5,000 kilometers) and shorter range (500-1,000 kilometers). In the recent years, Washington has been repeatedly accusing Russia of violating the treaty.

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