Russian military denies intrusion into Japan's airspace
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russia's Defense Ministry has rejected a claim by Japan that two Russian fighter jets have violated its airspace.
The Japanese Defense Ministry says the two Su-27 fighter jets intruded Japan's airspace for just over a minute Thursday off the northwestern tip of the island of Hokkaido. Tokyo lodged a protest.
In Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement denying any intrusion. It said Russian military aircraft taking part in Thursday's military exercise in the area flew in "strict conformity with international rules without any border violations."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The incident coincided with a rally sponsored by the Japanese government that urged Moscow to return a group of disputed islands off Hokkaido's eastern coast that were seized by the Soviet Union in the final days of World War II.