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Japan Scrambles Jets Following Russian Airspace Breach

Japan scrambled fighter jets Thursday after Russian bombers breached Japanese airspace, Agence France-Presse reported.

The two [Russian] Tu-95 planes breached airspace near the isle of Okinoshima off Fukuoka in southern Japan for nearly two minutes shortly after midday, a defense ministry spokesman said.

"A total of four F-2 planes from the Air Self-Defence Force scrambled against them," the official said.

The Japanese foreign ministry said it filed a formal protest with the Russian embassy in Tokyo over the violation and urged it to investigate.

 Russian bombers also briefly breached Japanese airspace in February.

Published under: Japan