Regarding the Sept. 10 Kyodo article "Russian bombers trigger protest": It is incredible that no one reporting this story has chosen to look at the obvious — why would Russia do this?

Two of their aircraft circled the entirety of Japan, quite careful not to violate Japanese airspace. It is more than likely that they were testing for atmospheric releases of radiation, since Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s credibility on the subject is now near zero.

Let's not forget that this fly-around occurred two days after fresh reports that high concentrations of iodine-131 had been discovered in sewage sludge in Nagano, Iwate and Niigata prefectures. Iodine-131 has a half-life of under 90 days, so radiation released in March would have mostly decayed by now. This is clear evidence of fresh and significant releases from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant sometime within the past month.

When asked to comment, a Tepco official stated that on-plant monitoring has shown no evidence of fresh releases. Can one blame the Russians for deciding to investigate it for themselves?

The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.

giovanni fazio