Japan dispatched warplanes on Friday after Russian patrol planes were spotted between the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, the country’s joint chiefs of staff said.
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Two Russian planes flew along the coasts of central and southern Japan and crossed the Tsushima Strait, which connects the two seas and separates South Korea from Japan, before returning along the same route, the state said. – Joint Major in a brief statement.
In response, fighter jets from the Japan Air Self-Defense Forces have been dispatched, he added.
The episode occurred as Russia and China were conducting joint naval maneuvers, with a detachment from both navies operating in the East China Sea, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
In June, China and Russia conducted a joint air patrol over the Japan and East China Seas, prompting South Korea to deploy fighter jets as a precaution.
It also comes on the day of an unprecedented summit meeting between the United States, South Korea and Japan near Washington, which aims to send a signal of unity to both China and North Korea.
US President Joe Biden receives Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at Camp David on Friday.
The three countries must establish an “emergency communications channel” in a region threatened by North Korea’s nuclear program and fears of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Japan, along with Western allies, imposed sanctions on Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and warned of the threat from Russia.
In its latest security document, which once called for stronger ties and cooperation with Russia, it now warns that Moscow’s joint military exercises with China are problematic.