"Today, the Russian-Japanese anti-piracy naval exercises have begun in the Gulf of Aden," Serga said.
The exercises are aimed at increasing cooperation between the Russian and Japanese warships in the fight against piracy and terrorism, he added.
Russia's Severomorsk ship and the Japanese destroyer Ikazuchi are participating in the drills.
READ MORE: Moscow Rejects Japan's Protests Over Military Deployment on Kuril Islands
The Russian-Japanese relations have long been hampered by the fact that the two nations never signed a permanent peace treaty after the end of World War II.
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Japan in December 2016, the relations between the two nations have been improving, with the two sides agreeing to develop joint projects on the disputed islands.
