Society

S.Korean fighter jet flies over Takeshima Islands

Oct 02 (NHK) - A South Korean F-15 fighter jet has flown over the Takeshima Islands in the Sea of Japan as part of an Armed Forces Day ceremony. The islands are controlled by South Korea but claimed by Japan.

The ceremony to mark the founding of South Korea's military was held on Tuesday at an air force base in the southern city of Daegu.

The military also displayed for the first time cutting-edge F-35 stealth fighter jets being delivered from the United States.

In an address, President Moon Jae-in said, "Our military's airtight security supports dialogue and cooperation, and enables us to take an audacious walk toward permanent peace."

Despite Moon's apparent eagerness to mend inter-Korean ties, the display of the F-35s is likely to invite backlash from North Korea, which has repeatedly criticized their deployment in the South.

In Tokyo, the director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Shigeki Takizaki, called a minister at the South Korean Embassy, Kim Kyung-han, to protest the flyover.

Takizaki said it's unacceptable and extremely regrettable that the fighter flew near the islands despite Japan's request that it not do so.

He said the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory both historically and in terms of international law.

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