Tokyo: Russia and China carried out a joint air patrol near Japan on Tuesday, adding new tension to an already sensitive region. Japan said the long flight was a show of military strength at a time when relations between Tokyo and Beijing are strained. According to the Japanese defence ministry, two Russian Tu 95 bombers and two Chinese H 6 bombers flew together over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. The aircraft then continued over the western Pacific in what officials described as an eight hour patrol. Japan scrambled its fighter jets to monitor the formation.

The ministry also reported additional Russian aircraft in the area, including an A 50 early warning plane and two Su 30 fighters operating near the Sea of Japan. Officials said the increased activity posed a serious co

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