Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luis Videgaray Caso in Moscow, Russia November 17, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is opposed to the militarization of Asia under the pretext of countering North Korea and is concerned by U.S. plans to deploy part of its global missile defense system in the region, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday

Lavrov was speaking after talks with his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono in Moscow.