MOSCOW, October 11. /TASS/. Russia has voiced protest to the Japanese embassy over the country’s plans to hold joint military exercises with the US near Russia’s borders this fall, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website.

"On October 11, the Japanese embassy in Russia was issued a strong protest over Tokyo’s announced plans to hold joint military exercises with the US from late October to early November on Japanese territory, including areas of Hokkaido near the Russian border," the ministry stated.

"The Japanese Embassy has been warned about inevitable and appropriate countermeasures to strengthen Russia’s defense capabilities and protect its sovereignty, as well as the inappropriateness of any attempts by the Japanese side to express 'concern' over our corresponding actions," the ministry stated.

It emphasized that "the Japanese side was informed of the categorical unacceptability of such practices, which are expanding in scale year by year, including by the involvement of non-regional NATO member states." The Russian side also expressed "extreme regret over the short-sighted disregard of [Russia’s] demarches on this issue."