Japan¡¯s U.N. ambassador on Thursday 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 U.N. Charter.

On Tuesday, Russia¡¯s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the first session ?of a U.N. Security Council meeting on upholding ?the U.N. ?charter and strengthening multilateral cooperation that ¡°remilitarization¡± in ?Germany and Japan was a dangerous threat to global security and was undoing the results of World War II.

Japan¡¯s ?envoy, Kazuyuki Yamazaki, said Japan had always been faithful to the ?U.N. Charter and upheld international law, while Russia was ¡°continuing its aggression against Ukraine in violation of ?the charter.¡±

¡°Japan¡¯s efforts to ?strengthen its defense capabilities are a response to an increasingly severe security environment and are ?not directed ?against any specific country. Japan has consistently maintained ?an exclusively defense-oriented policy under its Constitution,¡± Yamazaki ?said.

¡°It ?is ridiculous to criticize Japan¡¯s defense posture as militaristic. It is even more so (coming from) a state continuing its own military aggression in clear violation of ?the U.N. Charter.¡±

At Tuesday¡¯s meeting, Germany¡¯s minister of state for Europe, Gunther Krichbaum, called 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 neighbors 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 postwar security policy and is undertaking its largest military buildup since World War II, driven by concerns about China¡¯s growing power.