Russia has officially registered a protest over a planned Japanese investment in a Ukrainian drone manufacturer. This signals Moscow's worry that Japan may be normalizing defense cooperation and considering lifting its historic ban on weapon exports.

Russia’s protest over a proposed investment by a Japanese company in a Ukrainian drone maker signals its concern that Tokyo may be supporting closer cooperation with Kyiv’s defence sector and planning to lift a long-standing ban on weapon exports, according to an international relations expert. On Wednesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko registered Moscow’s protest in a meeting with Akira Muto, the Japanese ambassador to Russia. Muto “rebutted” the protest, according to a Jiji.....