The Japanese Ministry of Defense reported that a Russian Navy reconnaissance ship briefly approached the territorial waters of Okinotori Atoll in the far south of the country.

“A group of three Russian ships passed through the Tsushima Strait on Tuesday, heading from the East China Sea to the Sea of ​​Japan, and this group, consisting of a cruiser, a frigate and a supply ship, approached the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea,” the message says.

For its part, the Japanese Kyodo agency pointed out that “swimming in close proximity to the country’s territorial waters is not a violation of international law, since this atoll, consisting of three islands, is located in the Philippine Sea, 1.7 thousand km. from Tokyo.

And noted: “The Ministry of Defense of Japan first published information about the voyage of this Russian ship off Okinotori at the end of March last year, when the ship passed through the Tsushima Strait and headed south, into the East China Sea.”