Russian Foreign Minister: Relations with Japan will worsen if the US deploys missile defense system.
The deployment of the US missile defense system in Japan seriously worsens the quality of relations between Moscow and Tokyo, and failing to see this is a mistake, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with VTV and the Chinese television channel DTV "Phoenix".
"The fact that Japan is in a military alliance with the United States is a significant factor. The Americans have the right to deploy their armed forces anywhere in Japan and have deployed their missile defense system there, posing a risk to both Russia and China," Lavrov said.
"I reiterate, this is happening under conditions where Washington declares us to be America's main adversary. It would be a mistake not to see that instead of achieving the stated goal of improving, the quality of our relationship has worsened," he added.
In 2017, the Japanese government decided to deploy two US-made Aegis Ashore ground-based missile defense systems in the country. The plan was for the two systems to be deployed in Akita Prefecture in the northwest and Yamaguchi Prefecture in the southwest. Each system would cost 100 billion Japanese yen (approximately $890 million).
