Japan’s armed forces took off on a hasty pursuit Thursday after Russian bombers were spotted circling the archipelago without violating Japanese airspace, the defense ministry said today.

The previous overflight of Russian military aircraft in the area around Japan dates back to 2019, a defense ministry official told AFP. Russian bombers had then invaded Japanese airspace.

Tupolev Tu-142 aircraft flew yesterday Thursday over the maritime area between Japan and South Korea, headed for Okinawa, according to a statement from the ministry. They then moved north over the Pacific Ocean, moving close to the island of Hokkaido, while also flying over territory claimed by Tokyo and Moscow.

In response, “we quickly mobilized pursuit” of the Japanese air force, the ministry stressed.

Earlier in the week, elements of the navies mainly of China and Russia began joint exercises in the East Sea, as it is known on the Korean peninsula, or the Sea of ​​Japan, as it is called in Tokyo; the large-scale exercises were conducted in response to the strengthening of the military presence of the US and its allies in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.