US and Japan Announce Establishment of Integrated Military Command on the 28th
Russia stated that it is maintaining cooperation with China and North Korea in response to the strengthening of military cooperation between the United States and Japan.
Andrey Nastasin, Deputy Spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commented on the announcement that the United States and Japan will establish the United States Forces Japan Combined Command to enhance command and control linkage between U.S. forces and the Japan Self-Defense Forces during a briefing on the 31st (local time).
Deputy Spokesperson Nastasin said, "Undoubtedly, we are closely monitoring the recent measures taken by the United States and Japan to strengthen their military and political alliance, including the joint statement on the 28th regarding the improvement of the U.S. military command in Japan."
He added, "It appears that the United States and Japan are using claims of threats from North Korea, China, and Russia as a pretext to prepare for large-scale armed conflict in the Asia-Pacific region."
He also emphasized, "We have repeatedly warned that such activities only increase tensions in the Asia-Pacific region and accelerate the arms race. We continue to remind that provocative actions by the United States and other countries near the Russian border are duly taken into account in our defense plans and inevitably lead to appropriate countermeasures."
Earlier, on the 28th, the United States and Japan mentioned in a joint statement that the establishment of the Combined Command was announced while citing China’s coercive actions, North Korea’s nuclear development, and the strengthening of North Korea-Russia cooperation as threats to security.
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