Japan deploys fighter jets in response to Russian military aircraft circling the nation.

Tokyo - The Russian military plane circled Japan for the first time in five years, prompting the Japanese Defense Ministry to announce on Friday that it had immediately moved its fighter jets. The AFP news agency released a statement stating this.

The Russian Tu-142 aircraft flew to the southern Japanese island of Okinawa on Thursday from the sea between Japan and South Korea, according to the Japanese Ministry of Defense. The flight took place from the morning to the afternoon. After crossing the Pacific Ocean to the north, the Russian aircraft came to an end on the northern island of Hokkaido. The aircraft passed over the disputed waters between Japan and Russia, according to Japanese officials, rather than entering Japanese airspace.

In response, the Japanese Defense Ministry stated that the fighter jets were relocated in an emergency.

A Russian bomber did not enter Japanese airspace during the last Russian military aircraft flight over Japan in 2019. Additionally, Chinese and Russian warships started conducting combined military drills in the Sea of Japan earlier this week.