[HIGHLIGHTS] Japan accuses China of pushing two warships in its territorial waters and Beijing: Our air maneuvers with Russia do not target any country

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said his country had expressed "grave concern" and lodged a protest with Beijing. He said two Chinese coast guard vessels also entered Japanese waters around the Senkaku Islands, which China calls Diaoyu.

China and Russia began joint air patrols on Tuesday over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, prompting neighboring South Korea and Japan to deploy fighter jets. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said – in a regular press briefing yesterday – that the joint Chinese-Russian patrols do not target specific countries, and comply with international law and international norms.