Russia Claims No Break Area US-Japan Military Training

US-Japan Military Training

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian planes are flying in area of training niliter joint United States-Japan in the Pacific Ocean, but did not violate their airspace boundary, Russia's Interfax news agency said Wednesday.

Roman Martov, a spokesman for the Russian Pacific Fleet, was quoted by news agency said: "They made their flight schedules in the regular activities of the fleet (Russian).

"There is no violation of international law relating to the use of airspace or aviation regulations on the part of Russia," he said.

Previous patrol planes reportedly entered the airspace of Japan Sea where the United States and Japan conduct joint military training, which had suspended some of these activities, Japan's Sankei newspaper said on Wednesday.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary-Yoshito Sengoku confirmed that Russian planes entering the airspace on Monday, prompting U.S. fighter planes and Japan's move, but did not elaborate further.

Relations between Japan and Russia tense since Russian President Dmitry Medvedev last November to visit one of the islands which claimed the two countries, which makes Tokyo angry.

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Seiji Maehara reviewing the islands from a plane on Saturday. The newspaper assumed that Russia's actions in response to that action.

Japan's relations with China was also tense after the Tokyo arrested a Chinese fishing boat nakoda whose boat crashed into two Japanese patrol boats near disputed islands in the East China Sea.

United States, Japan and South Korea on Monday called on Beijing to do more to rein in North Korea after Pyongyang fired a South Korean island that killed four people on 23 November, which caused tension in the region.