MOSCOW, June 19. /TASS/. Tokyo’s plans to shed Japan’s non-nuclear status have Russia concerned, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a news briefing.

"Tokyo’s plans to erode the nation’s non-nuclear status are of particular concern, including in the format of joining so-called joint nuclear missions with the US similarly to NATO countries or holding multilateral drills involving strategic bombers, certified for nuclear missions. This also includes the prospects of deploying US medium-range missiles in Japan," she said.

The diplomat noted that the US is using Japan as a tool to counteract not only Russia, but also China. In this case, according to her, comparing it to Ukraine is not a stretch, because the US is "literally using Japan to destabilize the situation in the Asia-Pacific region." "The Japanese people hardly want the same fate Washington has in store for Ukrainians," she said.