Japan¡¯s Defense Ministry has said that a Russian military IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft intruded into Japanese territorial airspace Friday over the Northern Territories, which are controlled by Moscow and claimed by Tokyo.
An Air Self-Defense Force fighter was scrambled in response to the flight.
The Russian aircraft, which came from the continent, flew to the Pacific Ocean via the Sea of Okhotsk and traveled south to areas off Miyagi Prefecture, which faces the Pacific, according to the ministry¡¯s Joint Staff.
It then flew to the Sea of Japan via the Sea of Okhotsk.
A ministry official said that Japan is currently in a situation where it is virtually unable to exercise jurisdiction over the disputed islands, adding that the territorial issue needs to be resolved through diplomatic negotiations.
The islands were seized by the former Soviet Union from Japan at the end of World War II and have long been claimed by the Asian nation. They are known as the Northern Territories in Japan.
The territorial dispute has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from concluding a formal peace treaty ending wartime hostilities.
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