Territorial disputes of Japan

More than 50 US and Japanese warplanes flew over waters off Japan this week amid rising tensions with China and Russia

Japan lodged a protest with China on Monday over a Chinese naval vessel sailing near disputed islands, a Japanese official said, as reports emerged of Russia also sending its own navy ship to the area.

The islets in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku by Tokyo and the Diaoyu by Beijing, are at the centre of a long-running dispute between Japan and China.

It all started in the morning hours, when South-Korean agencies reported that several Russian aircrafts had violated airspace of that state, and they were warned about it. The incident took place above the East Sea near South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo, the subject of a dispute between Seoul and Tokyo.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias (l) and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi exchange documents during a signing ceremony at the Diaoyutai State House in Beijing, China, Monday. [EPA]