MOSCOW, October 4. /TASS/. The recent large-scale military exercise between Japan and the United States near the Russian border necessitated a resolute protest on the part of Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a news briefing.

"On October 2, a resolute protest was issued to the Japanese embassy over the holding of a large-scale Japanese-US military exercise on Hokkaido Island in the vicinity of the Russian borders on September 14-23 and [over] plans to hold similar maneuvers later this month and in December," Zakharova said.

According to Zakharova, it was communicated to the Japanese side that "the vociferous military activity being conducted by Tokyo jointly with its NATO allies near Russia’s Far Eastern borders is categorically inadmissible." "We also warned that the irresponsible policy course being pursued by the government of [Prime Minister Fumio] Kishida may set Japan on a path toward the dangerous escalation of tensions in Northeast Asia and the entire Asia-Pacific," the Russian diplomat concluded.