By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ANKARA (AA) – South Korea on Wednesday claimed that a Japanese military aircraft “flew close ” to one of its navy vessels sailing in the Sea of Japan in a fresh sign of growing tensions between Seoul and Tokyo over the disputed body of water.
“A Japanese maritime patrol plane flew close to a South Korean warship Wednesday,” Korean news agency Yonhap quoted a military representative in Seoul.
“[It is] likely to deepen tensions amid a lingering military radar dispute, ” the representative said.
Japanese Defense Ministry has yet to comment on the issue.
Seoul's salvo came two days after Japan released what it said was “new evidence ” of an alleged hostile act by South Korean forces late last year.
On Monday, Japan unilaterally suspended bilateral military dialogue with South Korea, citing the incident on Dec. 21 when a South Korean warship locked fire-control radar on a Japanese maritime patrol aircraft in the overlapping exclusive economic zones of the two countries.
