Japan says Chinese and Russian planes were flying nearby when Quad met

 Chinese and Russian warplanes conducted joint flights near Japan on Tuesday as quad bloc leaders met in Tokyo, Japan's defense minister said.

Nobuo Kishi said the government had raised "serious concerns" with Russia and China about the flights, which took place as leaders of the United States, India, Australia and Japan held regional security talks.

The planes did not violate territorial airspace, the Defense Ministry told AFP, and it was the fourth time since November that joint long-haul flights between Russia and China have been spotted near Japan.

"Two Chinese bombers joined two Russian bombers in the Sea of ​​Japan and flew together to the East China Sea," Kishi told reporters.

replacing the two Chinese bombers - and two Russian bombers, conducted a joint flight from the East China Sea to the Pacific Ocean."

He said a Russian intelligence plane also flew north from Hokkaido to central Japan's Noto Peninsula on Tuesday, calling the moves "provocative" in light of the Tokyo summit.

Beijing confirmed the flights in a brief statement, saying they are in line with China-Russia's "annual military cooperation plan".

"On May 24, the air forces of the two countries organized and conducted a routine joint strategic air patrol in the airspace over the Sea of ​​Japan, the East China Sea and the western Pacific marine areas," the defense ministry said in a statement.

The Quad leaders on Tuesday warned against attempts to "violently change the status quo," though they avoided direct references to Russia or China in a joint statement.

However, their statement related to the war in Ukraine warned of a number of activities that Beijing is regularly accused of in the region.

Kishi said Japan has "communicated through diplomatic channels our serious concerns from the security perspective of our country and the region."

"While the international community is reacting to Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the fact that China has taken such a step in cooperation with Russia, the aggressor, is worrying. This cannot be ignored.”

Japan, which has unstable relations and border disputes with neighbors China, Russia and South Korea, regularly sends jets to defend its air borders.

According to the Defense Department, the country was deploying military jets 1,004 times a year through March, the second-highest number on record.

Most were aimed at countering approaching Chinese aircraft, although most others were of Russian aircraft. Referral link