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Russia demands Japan remove US Typhon missile systems — diplomat

Tokyo had once again taken this step despite repeated demarches by the Russian side explaining its concerns about threats to national security, regional peace and stability arising from the deployment of this type of weapon on the Japanese archipelago, Maria Zakharova said

© REUTERS/Tim Kelly

MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. Russia has demanded that Japan remove US Typhon ground-based missile systems designed to launch intermediate-and shorter-range missiles from its territory, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"On September 3, a protest note was delivered to the Japanese side in Moscow and Tokyo over the deployment on Kyushu of US Typhon ground-based systems designed to launch intermediate-and shorter-range missiles," the diplomat said in a comment. "The document specifically noted that Tokyo had once again taken this step despite repeated demarches by the Russian side explaining our concerns about threats to national security, regional peace and stability arising from the deployment of this type of weapon on the Japanese archipelago."

"We stressed that Japan's deployment of these systems on its territory is unacceptable under any pretext, regardless of the duration or manner of that deployment," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said. "The Japanese side was urged to end this practice and remove the aforementioned systems from its territory."

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