TOKYO, June 22. /TASS/. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces have tracked the passage of Russian and Japanese ships, who travelled off the country’s coast in separate groups, the country’s Joint Staff said in reports published on Tuesday night.
According to the Japanese side, a group of five Russian ships sailed eastward via the Tsushima Strait and entered the Sea of Japan late on June 21. The same group was detected off Hokkaido on June 15, subsequently passing southward about 180 off the Chiba Prefecture coast, and later - between the Smith Island and Tori-shima. On June 19, the ships were detected between the islands of Miyako and Okinawa, moving towards the East China Sea.
Meanwhile, a group of three Chinese ships passed between the Smith Island and Tori-shima on the afternoon of June 21. The group was being tracked by the Japanese forces since June 12, when they crossed the Tsushima Strait towards the Sea of Japan. On June 16 and 17, the ships were spotted in the La Perouse Strait and the Tsugaru Straits. On June 20, they were seen about 220 km off the Chiba Prefecture coast.
The Japanese Defense Ministry is analyzing the information. No violations were registered.