Japan assures no US missiles on soil as Russia gears up for potential threat

Japanese Ambassador to Moscow Akira Muto recently stated that there are currently no plans to deploy US medium-range and shorter-range missiles on Japanese territory.

“There are a lot of different statements about the possible deployment of US medium-range missiles on Japanese territory,” Muto said in an interview with the Russian media, Caliber.Az reports.

He emphasized that Tokyo and Washington have no such plans at present, adding, “I can clearly and unequivocally say that Japan and the United States currently have no such plans.”

The ambassador further noted that any decision on the future deployment of such missiles would be made "independently and on the basis of Japan's purely national interests."

The ambassador's statement comes to refute the Sankei newspaper's report claiming that the US had begun probing Japan's stance on the deployment of land-based medium-range missiles such as LRHW or Tomahawk around 3-4 years ago.

In response, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova remarked during a briefing that Russia would take necessary measures based on its updated nuclear doctrine should US missiles be deployed in Japan. “We have repeatedly warned the Japanese side that if US medium-range missiles pose a real threat to security, we will take steps to strengthen our own defence capabilities,” Zakharova said. She also advised Japanese politicians to familiarize themselves with the updated provisions of Russia's state policy on nuclear deterrence.

Earlier, Nikolai Nozdrev, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Third Asia Department, indicated that Moscow would factor in the potential deployment of US intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in Japan when formulating its military plans.

In a related development, on November 24, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko accused NATO of supplying strike weapons to Asia, which he claimed violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Rudenko noted that this shift has led to a marked increase in militarization in the region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had earlier highlighted NATO's growing influence in the Asia-Pacific region, asserting that it was under the pretext of ensuring the security of its members. Russian President Vladimir Putin also warned in September that the deployment of US missiles in Asia posed a direct threat to both China and Russia.

By Tamilla Hasanova