MOSCOW. Oct 2 (Interfax) - Tokyo's demarche to the Russian side over an alleged violation of Japanese airspace has been dismissed, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
"The Japanese side was trying to protest to us on this issue via diplomatic channels. The Russian side rejected the demarche. We have no information confirming its justification. At the same time, we noted the counterproductive nature of politicizing such issues by Tokyo, which, in our opinion, should be discussed through the appropriate competent channels," she told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday in response to a request from journalists to comment on the corresponding reports.
On September 23, Japanese media, citing the country's Defense Ministry, reported that a Russian Ilyushin Il-38 anti-submarine warfare aircraft violated Japan's airspace, entering the country's airspace three times, while a Japanese Air Self-Defense Force aircraft fired a flare.