Russia protests US Typhon deployment in Japan

MOSCOW, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russia has demanded that Japan remove the U.S. Typhon systems from its territory, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

"On September 3, a note of protest was sent to the Japanese side in Moscow and Tokyo in connection with the deployment of U.S. ground-based Typhon systems, designed for launching intermediate- and shorter-range missiles, on the island of Kyushu," said Zakharova in a statement.

She further said that the deployment of Typhon launchers on Japanese territory was unacceptable under any pretext and demanded their removal.

Zakharova also emphasized that Japan must fully recognize the results of World War II, including the territorial aspects concerning the southern Kuril Islands, and abandon its remilitarization course.

On September 1st, Zakharova told a briefing on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok that The Japanese Embassy had been clearly informed that the deployment of this type of weaponry on Japanese territory, even under the pretext of military exercises, "is absolutely unacceptable, as it poses a threat to Russia's security."