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Japan says breach of its airspace by Russian jets deserves regret

Despite Japan’s assertions Russia’s Defence Ministry denied these reports
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

TOKYO, February 8 (Itar-Tass) - Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has called as “deserving regret” the incident involving two Russian fighter jets that allegedly violated Japanese airspace.

According to the Japanese Defence Ministry, two Russian Su-27 fighter jets breached Japanese airspace at 14:59 local time (09:59 Moscow time) on Thursday.

They made a flight over the Sea of Japan and stayed around 60 seconds in Japanese airspace prompting Tokyo to scramble its own F-2 fighter jets.

Japan’s Foreign Ministry made a protest against the Russian side in this respect.

Despite Japan’s assertions Russia’s Defence Ministry denied these reports.

“All flights of the Aerospace Defence Forces are controlled by air traffic regulating bodies,” a spokesman for the eastern military district, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Gordeyev told Itar-Tass on Thursday.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry made similar statements.

“Fighter jets of the naval aviation of the Russian Pacific Fleet perform flights in the region bordering Japan on a regular basis and in strict compliance with the international rules of the use of airspace without violation of state borders of other countries,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.