UNITED NATIONS, United States – Japan’s UN ambassador on May 28 dismissed as “ridiculous” Russia’s criticism of its military buildup at a time when Moscow was continuing its war against Ukraine
in violation of the UN Charter.On May 26, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the first session of a UN Security Council meeting on upholding the UN charter and strengthening multilateral cooperation that “remilitarisation” in Germany and Japan was a dangerous threat to global security and was undoing the results of World War II.
Japan’s envoy, Mr Kazuyuki Yamazaki, said Japan had always been faithful to the UN Charter and upheld international law, while Russia was “continuing its aggression against Ukraine in violation of the charter”.
“Japan’s efforts to strengthen its defence capabilities are a response to an increasingly severe security environment and are not directed against any specific country. Japan has consistently maintained an exclusively defence-oriented policy under its constitution,” Mr Yamazaki said.
“It is ridiculous to criticise Japan’s defence posture as militaristic. It is even more so (coming from) a state continuing its own military aggression in clear violation of the UN Charter.”
At the May 26 meeting, Germany’s minister of state for Europe, Mr Gunther Krichbaum, called Mr Nebenzia’s comments “unjustified accusations”.
“We have been and continue to be crystal clear about our aim, which is to live in peace with our neighbours and prevent conflicts in and beyond Europe and around the world,” he said.
Germany has laid out plans for a major expansion of its armed forces following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while Japan has taken steps away from pacifist restraints that have shaped its post-war security policy and is undertaking its largest military buildup since World War II, driven by concerns about China’s growing power. REUTERS
