MOSCOW, July 25. /TASS/. The number of Japan’s joint exercises with NATO and other US allies increased by thirty times this year, Russian presidential aide Nikolay Patrushev said in an interview with the Rossiiskaya Gazeta daily.
"Portraying itself as a regional organization, interested in stability in the North-Atlantic region, [NATO] in reality, is constantly expanding and has now laid its eyes on the Asia-Pacific region. Here, the alliance views Japan as its main foothold. The country has long been under Washington’s control, which has been exercised with the help of US military bases among other things. Since the start of 2024, the number of Japanese naval exercises with fleets of NATO members and other US allies was 30 times as much as last year," he said.
Patrushev also mentioned plans to further strengthen the informal "Indo-Pacific Four" group of formal NATO partners in the region, namely Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
"NATO leadership said that the Four will engage in non-military maritime and cyberspace activities. In reality, the US Department of Defense is interested in joint production of weapons with these countries, and also in their servicing of NATO ships and planes," he said.
The presidential aide went on to say that Washington plans to create more "mini military alliances" under its control, citing AUKUS as an existing example of such blocs. In his words, the partnership of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States is aimed "primarily at creating Australian nuclear-powered submarine fleet."
"The organization has engaged in consistent policy of deterrence towards Russia and China, including within the framework of US military strategy known as ‘advantage at sea.’ It stipulates that the US Navy should enhance their military integration with fleets of their satellites to be able to use force against, first of all, Russian and Chinese ships," the Russian official said.