“Troop exercises are taking place near the Kuril Islands, which seriously complicates the situation in the Asia-Pacific region.”
Japan’s foreign ministry and Prime Minister’s Office could not immediately be reached for comment outside business hours.
Russia decided this year to declare Sep 3 – the day after Japan’s surrender in World War Two – a “Day of Victory over Militaristic Japan”, spurring a protest from Tokyo.
Medvedev said Japan, with help from the United States, was expanding its military infrastructure and increasing its arms purchases.
Japan’s defence ministry on Thursday sought a record US$53 billion in next fiscal year’s budget, part of its biggest military buildup since World War Two, aiming to double defence spending to 2 per cent of gross domestic product by 2027, citing an increasingly assertive China and an unpredictable North Korea.
