Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi on Friday expressed a sense of vigilance against a possible naval drill by Russia off Japan's Pacific coast, amid mounting tensions between the two nations over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Kishi told a press conference that the Defense Ministry confirmed that five Russian ships had been "active" east of the main island of Hokkaido on Thursday, apparently as part of a large-scale military exercise that Russia had said would start on June 3 with over 40 vessels and some 20 aircraft joining on the Pacific.
"We need to closely monitor if (Russian forces) would conduct a drill hereafter" off Japan's northeastern Pacific coast, Kishi said, adding that the move might be "aimed at boasting of its ability to engage in activity in the Far East while continuing its aggression against Ukraine."
Warnings have been issued related to the firing of missiles during the war game in waters ranging from those surrounding Kuril Islands to those off northeastern Japan, including part of the nation's exclusive economic zone, according to Kishi.
Russia has been intensifying its military activities around Japan, recently highlighted by a joint flight of Russian and Chinese bombers over the Sea of Japan on May 24, the day Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hosted a Quad summit with the leaders of the United States, Australia and India.
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