The Latest: Japan protests to Russia, SKorea over airspace

SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of – The Latest on South Korea’s firing of warning shots after Russian military planes allegedly entered its airspace (all times local):

6:55 p.m.

Japan has protested to Russia for allegedly violating Japanese airspace and to South Korea for firing warning shots there.

South Korea said its air force jets fired 360 rounds of warning shots Tuesday after a Russian military plane violated South Korean airspace, in the first such incident between the countries.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters later that South Korean warplane’s firing of warning shots was “absolutely unacceptable” in light of Japan’s territorial claims to Korean-controlled islands that Japan calls Takeshima and South Korea calls Dokto.

He said Tokyo “strictly objected to Russia and South Korea via separate diplomatic channels and strongly requested the prevention of a recurrence.”

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11:30 a.m.

South Korea says it has fired warning shots after Russian military planes entered South Korea’s airspace.

South Korea’s Defence Ministry says multiple Russian military planes violated the South Korean airspace off its east coast on Tuesday.

The ministry says South Korea launched fighter jets and that they fired warning shots.

It says Chinese military planes also intruded into South Korea’s aerial identification zone on Tuesday.

The ministry gave no further details.