Russia lodges protest over Japan's upcoming military drills

MOSCOW, April 17 (Xinhua)--Russia lodged a strong protest with Japan over Tokyo's plan to conduct anti-ship missile drills near Russia's borders, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday.

Russia lodged a protest with the Japanese Embassy in Moscow over Japan's plans to hold training exercises with the SSM-1 anti-ship missile systems, equipped with the Type-88 missiles on the Hokkaido Island near the Russian border in June, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

It said that Moscow considers such "provocative" military activity near Russia's borders "a potential threat to its national security," adding that Tokyo's actions heighten tensions in Northeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

"Russia reserves the right to take all necessary countermeasures" to ensure its security on its Far Eastern borders, the foreign ministry warned. ■