Russian Naval Ship Spotted Off Japan's Southernmost Island
Japan's Defense Ministry says a Russian naval vessel entered a zone just outside Japanese waters near the country's southernmost island of Okinotorishima.
It's the first time the ministry has publicized an entry by a Russian naval ship into the contiguous zone around the island.
Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force confirmed a Russian intelligence-gathering ship navigating westward about 45 kilometers south-southeast of the island at around 5 a.m. on Wednesday.
The vessel then entered the contiguous zone off the island and sailed on westward.
The ministry says it will not disclose how long the ship was in the zone.
It is not a violation of international law for warships to sail through the zone.
The ministry also announced that the MSDF confirmed three Russian naval vessels sailed through the Tsushima Strait on Tuesday through Wednesday to enter the Sea of Japan from the East China Sea.
The strait lies between Japan's southwestern main island of Kyushu and the Korean Peninsula.
The ships included a destroyer and a frigate. They also entered the contiguous zone off the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Monday evening. One was in the zone earlier that day.
Japan controls the islands. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory. China and Taiwan claim them.
The Defense Ministry is analyzing the aim of the Russian vessels while keeping up surveillance.