Two Russian fighter jets have violated Japanese airspace, prompting Tokyo to scramble its own aircraft, reports say.<\/p>\n
Japan lodged a protest after the planes were detected off the northern island of Hokkaido for just over a minute.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Russia’s military denied the incursion, saying the jets were making routine flights near the disputed islands.<\/p>\n
Mr Abe was speaking on the anniversary of an 1855 treaty which Japan says supports its claims to the islands.<\/p>\n
The four islands – which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan calls the Northern Territories – are the subject of a 60-year-old dispute.<\/p>\n
Because of the dispute, the two nations have not yet signed a peace treaty to end World War II.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Hours earlier, Mr Abe told former inhabitants of the disputed islands and their descendents: “In the telephone talks, I told [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin I would make efforts to find a mutually acceptable solution so as to ultimately solve the issue of the Northern Territories.”<\/p>\n
In December, Mr Abe and Mr Putin agreed to restart talks on signing a peace treaty.<\/p>\n
BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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