Russia Criticizes Japan’s Defense White Paper

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:31 JST, August 7, 2023

A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson criticized Japan’s 2023 Defense White Paper as hypocritical, in a statement released Saturday.

The Defense White Paper, released in July, states that “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has shaken the very foundation of the international order and is perceived as the most significant and direct threat to security in the European region.”

Russia claimed in its statement that militaristic Japan was being silent on the inconvenient truth that it was allied with Nazi Germany during World War II.

Regarding the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Russia said it served the interests of the United States and European countries, and was losing its diplomatic independence.

Japan’s increased defense spending was accused of posing a direct threat to peace and stability in Northeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole.