Tokyo concerned over China-Russia naval drills near Japan

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan has expressed concern after China and Russia held a joint naval exercise in which 10 of their warships passed through international waterways between its northern and southern islands. The warships did not violate Japanese waters. Japan considers China’s increasingly assertive maritime activities as a regional security threat. The two sides have a dispute over Japanese-controlled East China Sea islands that China also claims. Japan also has a territorial row with Russia over a separate group of islands north of Hokkaido. A government spokesperson says Japan will continue its vigilance and surveillance in nearby waters and airspace.