Japan scrambles jets as Russian aircraft circles country

A department official told AFP on Friday that the last time Russian military plane circled Japan was in 2019, but that event involved planes that did enter the country’s airport.

Russian and Chinese vessels started conducting joint training in the Sea of Japan earlier this year.

The training are a significant naval practice, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the largest of its kind in three years.

Russia and China have increased military assistance in recent years, both railing against what they perceive as US dominance over international politics.

Immediately before Moscow launched its offensive in Ukraine in 2022, they declared a” no limits” relationship.

Relations between Japan and Russia, who both claim the Kuril Islands, are known in Japan as the Northern Territories, have deteriorated significantly since the start of the Ukraine issue.

In the last time of World War II, the Soviet Union seized the carefully located volcanic archipelago northwest of Hokkaido, and it has continued to maintain a military appearance there ever since.