The timing of these flights seems more than mere coincidence, as Fumio Kishida, the Prime Minister of Japan, departed not much later for a visit to Kiev. The prime minister planned that visit to show solidarity with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the war against Russia. It also coincides with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Moscow.
LOOK. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida arrives in Kyiv
The Russian bombers, two Tupolev Tu-95MS aircraft, can carry nuclear weapons and regularly fly over international waters as a sign of power. According to Russia itself, this was a “planned flight” conducted in strict accordance with international law. That’s what the Ministry of Defense sounds like.
Japan is a key Asian ally of the United States and has also joined Western sanctions against Russia. Japan itself has also been embroiled in a dispute with Moscow over islands in the North Pacific since the end of World War II.