MOSCOW. June 19 (Interfax) - Russia will respond to any threatening actions of the United States, South Korea or Japan in Northeast Asia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
"The United States, South Korea and Japan should be aware that any potential threats to Russia's Far Eastern borders will be given a corresponding response through the enhancement of national defense capabilities," Zakharova said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
"We are closely monitoring the intensifying military-political interaction between Japan and the United States, as well as their regional allies, in Northeast Asia and the Asia Pacific region as a whole, where Tokyo serves as a key conductor of anti-Russian and anti-Chinese initiatives in the vein of the so-called 'dual deterrence' policy of the United States," she said.
"We have repeatedly noted the risk posed to the region by the policy of [Japanese Prime Minister Fumio] Kishida's administration towards the accelerated remilitarization of Japan, including consistent steps towards dismantling the 'pacifist' constraints of the post-war constitution and the actual development of the country's offensive military potential," Zakharova said.
"A source of particular concern is Tokyo's plans to dilute its national nuclear-free status, including through involvement in the so-called 'joint nuclear missions' with the United States, similar to those with NATO members," she said.