Japan’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday accused Russia’s military of ordering a helicopter to fly through Japanese airspace off the nation’s northernmost island of Hokkaido near islets disputed by Tokyo and Moscow.
Ukrainian state media, citing Reuters and Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun, appeared to endorse reports on Wednesday of as many as 70 Japanese nationals applying to join the ongoing war against Russia in Ukraine.
Tokyo said Thursday it “cannot accept” Moscow’s recent proposal to establish a special tariff-free economic zone on disputed islands administered by Russia but claimed by Japan, Kyodo News reported.
Japan’s air force recently deployed F-15 fighter jets to intercept two Russian nuclear-capable Tupolev Tu-95MS bombers flying over the Sea of Japan, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported on Thursday.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a summit on Tuesday where they both affirmed their commitment to signing a peace treaty over their decades-long territorial dispute over the Russian-controlled Kuril Islands.
