Lyudmila Vorobyova, director of the Third Asian Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in an interview with Sputnik News that Russia will take countermeasures if Japan cancels Article 9 of its constitution regarding the renunciation of armed forces.
The diplomat said Moscow would continue to closely monitor Tokyo's attempts to "revise the pacifist provisions of the postwar constitution along the lines of the current government's accelerated remilitarization." She noted that the process is gaining momentum.
She pointed out: "The developments have created additional threats to Russia's security. In response, we will be forced to take countermeasures and strengthen our defense capabilities." At the same time, Vorobyova emphasized that this is entirely a domestic matter of the country.
At the same time, she warned that Japan should be aware that Article 9 of the Constitution stipulates that "Japan forever renounces war as a sovereign right of the country, the threat of force, or the exercise of force as a means of settling international disputes." Tokyo has actually created a threat to other countries. If the international obligations of subjects of international law are cancelled, it cannot but have an impact on foreign policy.
Vorobyova pointed out: "Japan's departure from the peaceful development claimed by its previous generations of politicians will inevitably trigger new security challenges, lead to increased tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, and stimulate the arms race to enter a new stage."
The diplomat stressed that in any case, the final choice should be made by the Japanese people in a referendum, which is still a long way off.
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