MOSCOW, March 28. /TASS/. Moscow will resort to countermeasures in case Tokyo begins posing threats to Russia’s Far Eastern borders, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told TASS on Saturday.
"We continue closely monitoring the current situation and if Japan's further steps entail challenges and threats to Russia's Far Eastern borders, we will resort to adequate countermeasures to ensure that our defense capability is in no way affected," the Russian diplomat said in an interview with TASS.
He urged "Tokyo against forgetting the lessons of the past, especially about the outcome of Japanese militarism in 1945."
"We urge you to return to a peaceful, creative development path," Rudenko stated.
The Russian diplomat stated that Russia took notice of "persistent steps made by the Japanese leadership towards the dangerous path of remilitarization of the country, including a move away from the pacifist provisions of the constitution, a sharp GDP two-percent increase concerning the military budget, massive purchases of foreign-made weapons, including shock weapons, as well as measures to liberalize exports of military products."
"We do constantly point out to the Japanese side that such a policy negatively affects stability in the Asia-Pacific Region and directly affects the interests of neighboring states, including Russia, in the field of national security," Rudenko added.