TOKYO, September 12. /TASS/. Russia’s An-26 plane allegedly twice violated Japan’s airspace near the Hokkaido Island in the north of the country on Sunday, the Japanese Defense Ministry said in a statement.

It is noted that Japanese jets were scrambled to intercept the Russian plane.

According to Kyodo news agency, the Japanese Foreign Ministry called on the Russian side to prevent similar incidents in the future through diplomatic channels and issued a note a protest over what happened. At the same time, it is claimed that the Russian plane was a civil one.