Russia says Japan's missile deployment could be 'more than tragic'

MOSCOW - The deployment of anti-ship hypersonic missiles at Japanese military garrisons in Kumamoto and Shizuoka represents yet another indication that Japan is moving away from the pacifist provisions enshrined in its Constitution, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

Japan's deployment of missile systems on its territory and the buildup of its offensive weapons arsenals reflect the country's dangerous course toward remilitarization, she said.

"Add to this the rejection of preserving historical memory and the rewriting of history, and the result could be more than tragic," she added.

According to Zakharova, Russia has repeatedly raised with Japanese authorities through diplomatic channels the negative impact of their policies on security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

"We are carefully taking these circumstances into account, primarily in the context of developing the necessary countermeasures to ensure an adequate level of our country's defense capability," she said.