Russian and Chinese jets flew near Tokyo as leaders from the U.S., India, Japan, and Australia met for the Quad bloc summit in Asia.
What Happened: Japanese defense minister Nobuo Kishi told AFP that the government expressed "grave concerns" to Russia and China over the flights, which took place while leaders from Quad nations held talks on regional security.
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However, the Russian defense ministry called it a "regular patrol" and said Chinese H-6K bombers and Russian Tu-95MS bombers conducted regular joint strategic patrols above the Sea of Japan, East China Sea, and West Pacific on Tuesday.
The Russian ministry said that the aircraft abided by international regulations and did not violate any other country's airspace.
It is the fourth time since November last year that long-distance joint flights by China and Russia have been spotted near Japan.
Calling it a "provocative" move given the summit in Tokyo, Kishi said a Russian intelligence-gathering aircraft also flew off Northern Hokkaido to the Noto Peninsula in central Japan on Tuesday.
The Japanese minister further added that the Asian country had "communicated through diplomatic routes our grave concerns from the perspective of our country's and the region's security."
