Thread: News Stories
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Old 2013-02-07, 13:48   Link #26239
KiraYamatoFan
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
Age: 40
Russian fighter jets breach Japan airspace

OK, now what?

Quote:
Two Russian fighter jets have violated Japanese airspace, prompting Tokyo to scramble its own aircraft, reports say.

Japan lodged a protest after the planes were detected off the northern island of Hokkaido for just over a minute.

The incident happened after Japanese PM Shinzo Abe said he was seeking a solution to a territorial dispute with Russia over a Pacific island chain.

Russia's military denied the incursion, saying the jets were making routine flights near the disputed islands.
Mr Abe was speaking on the anniversary of an 1855 treaty which Japan says supports its claims to the islands.

The four islands - which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan calls the Northern Territories - are the subject of a 60-year-old dispute.

Because of the dispute, the two nations have not yet signed a peace treaty to end World War II.

'Extremely problematic' "Today, around 03:00 (06:00 GMT), military fighters belonging to Russian Federation breached our nation's airspace above territorial waters off Rishiri island in Hokkaido," the foreign ministry said.

Japanese F-2 fighter jets were scrambled, as the Russian Su-27 planes flew south over the Sea of Japan before turning back to the north, Japan's Kyodo news agency said.

Defence ministry official Yoshihide Yoshida told journalists it was not clear whether the incursion was intentional or accidental, but described it as "extremely problematic".

Roman Martov, a spokesman for the Russian air force's eastern district, was quoted by Russian media as saying the planes did not enter Japanese airspace.

The flights were "strictly in accordance with international rules on the use of airspace and did not involve breaching the borders of other states", he said.

Japan last reported an incursion by Russian aircraft in February 2008.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21364559

According to this picture:
Spoiler for size:


Those pilots were completely off the mark if they were supposed to do drills over the Kurils. If they keep on holding the same speech, then I'm the Queen of England.

Seriously, what the hell is going on all out of a sudden? Everyone has a beef against Japan these days. And that was even before Abe was elected.
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