TOKYA
Japan is “strongly alarmed” by alleged airspace breaches by China and Russia, and their other military activities around the country, the Japanese defense minister said on Tuesday.
“We have a strong sense of crisis over these kinds of cases that have occurred successively in such a short period in waters and airspace surrounding our nation,” Minoru Kihara told a news briefing in Tokyo.
He called the alleged airspace intrusion by Russia a “provocative act.”
On Monday, Tokyo filed a protest with Moscow after alleged violations of Japanese airspace by a Russian military plane.
An IL-38 military plane violated Japanese airspace three times off the coast of the northernmost island of Hokkaido, the country’s Defense Ministry said.
Japan mobilized its military jets, which fired “signal flares” for the first time ever against the allegedly intruding Russian plane, it added.
There was no immediate comment from the Russian side.
On Saturday, Russia and China began a joint naval military exercise in the Sea of Japan.
During the one-week drill, the two countries’ servicemen will train in repelling an attack by a simulated enemy from the air, water, and underwater environment, as well as maneuvering.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said it spotted four Chinese military vessels and four Russian ships off the coast of Hokkaido.
