“We confirmed that Russian military bombers and fighter jets flew over the high seas of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan yesterday, and we scrambled Air Self-Defence Force fighter jets” in response, Mr Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters.

Japan scrambled fighter jets after Russian bombers flew over international waters around the country, Tokyo’s top government spokesman said Friday. “We confirmed that Russian military bombers and fighter jets flew over the high seas of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan yesterday,

The flight, which lasted for more than eight hours, saw the Russian aircraft being escorted by planes from other countries

Newsweek has emailed the Japanese and Russian defense ministries for further comment. Japan, a security treaty ally of the United States, is involved in a territorial dispute with Russia over the Northern Territories,