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Russian airplanes flew near a joint US-Japanese military drill, a naval spokesman said Wednesday, heightening tensions in a territorial dispute between Tokyo and Moscow. "The area is our zone of responsibility. The airplanes carried out a planned flight in an area of the Russian Pacific Fleet's regular activity," said Roman Markov, a spokesman for the fleet. "Our pilots did not violate any rules of international airspace." Japan's Sankei newspaper had earlier reported that Russian patrol planes had interrupted joint US-Japanese military drills this week when they entered airspace above where the exercises were being conducted in the Sea of Japan. The week-long military exercises between the US and Japan end tomorrow. About 44,500 personnel have participated. Ties between Japan and Russia have been strained since Russian President Dmitry Medvedev infuriated Tokyo last month by becoming the first Russian leader to visit one of a string of islands claimed by both countries. Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara viewed the islands from a plane Saturday, and media reports speculated that the Russian action could have been in response to the move. Reuters |
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