Japan scrambles jets as Russian aircraft circle its airspace

Russian Tu-142 aircraft flew around Japan's archipelago for the first time in five years, with the planes flying from the sea between Japan and South Korea towards the southern Okinawa region, but not entering Japanese airspace. The flight path took them over an area subject to a territorial dispute. Russian and Chinese warships began joint drills in the Sea of Japan on Tuesday, as part of a larger exercise called "Ocean-2024" that will see Russian warships sail through waters spanning the Northern Hemisphere and Pacific.