"Halt Such Acts": Japan Protests Suspected Air Incursion By Russia
NDTV
Russia-Ukraine War: Japan, along with other G7 countries, has pressured Moscow over the invasion, with a series of sanctions on Russian financial institutions and chip exports.
Tokyo lodged a diplomatic protest with Moscow after scrambling fighter jets on Wednesday as a suspected Russian helicopter entered Japan's northern airspace at a time of heightened tensions over Ukraine.
Japan, which has volatile ties and border disputes with key neighbours China, Russia and South Korea, routinely sends jets to defend its territorial airspace.
The country scrambled military jets 49 times in January, 142 times in December and 127 times in November, the defence ministry says. Most were to counter approaching Chinese aircraft, although many of the rest involved Russian aircraft.
On Wednesday morning, one suspected Russian helicopter flew into Japanese territorial airspace off northern Hokkaido island, Japan's defence ministry said in a brief statement.
