Japan will not be able to deploy the US Aegis Ashore missile defense system without Washington controlling it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2021) Japan will not be able to deploy the US Aegis Ashore missile defense system without Washington controlling it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday.
During a press conference, the minister emphasized Russia's concerns regarding the creation of the US missile defense system Aegis Ashore in the country as well as the possibility of deployment of US ground-based intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles.
"Our Japanese colleagues assure us that they will simply buy the appropriate Aegis Ashore systems, but that they will control them themselves and that the Americans will have nothing to do with managing these systems. With all due respect to our Japanese friends, this is impossible. There is no way to get away from American control of these systems," Lavrov said.
The minister went on to mention the US-Japan negotiations regarding deploying intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles at sea instead of land.
"This is unlikely to change matters, because basing intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in the Sea of Japan, even on ships, would mean that these missiles could reach large parts of the Russian Federation," Lavrov concluded.
In June, Tokyo decided to scrap the deployment of US Aegis Ashore Ballistic Missile Defense systems on its territory. However, in December, Japan approved building two naval vessels equipped with the missile defense system instead.
Russia informed Japan multiple times that such initiatives as Aegis Ashore's deployment would not better the regional strategic defense and would be taken into consideration during the peace treaty talks with Tokyo.
