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MOSCOW, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday that it regarded joint military exercises by Japan, the United States and Australia near the Japanese island of Hokkaido as a "potential security threat", and would strengthen its own defences.
Relations between Moscow and Tokyo have worsened since President Vladimir Putin sent his armed forces into Ukraine in 2022 and Japan joined Western nations in imposing punitive sanctions on Russia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the military drills had taken place close to Russia's borders and that it interpreted them as a sign that Japan was intent on raising tensions.
"We regard such provocative activity involving non-regional states as a potential security threat," the ministry said, adding that it had issued a formal protest to the Japanese embassy.
"We warned that the irresponsible policy of the Kishida administration is putting Tokyo on a path to escalating tensions in Northeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole. We will take appropriate measures to further strengthen our country's defence capability," it said.
