Tokyo has asked Russia not to conduct marine surveys or resource exploration within Japan's exclusive economic zone without permission, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday.
On the morning of June 5, the Japan Coast Guard spotted a Russian vessel hanging what appeared to be a wire within Japan's EEZ near the Soya Strait, which lies between Hokkaido and the Russian island of Sakhalin, Kishida told a news conference.
The Foreign Ministry told the Russian Embassy in Tokyo that such action is "not permitted" if the ship entered Japan's EEZ for the purpose of a survey, Kishida said, adding the vessel has already left the EEZ.
"We will continue to closely monitor developments in surrounding waters," Kishida said.
