News In Brief

Tokyo to protest to Soviets for instrusion by bombers

Fighter aircraft intercepted three Soviet Tupolev bombers Tuesday as they circled in Japan's airspace, ignoring repeated warnings, a spokesman for the Defense Agency said. The three bombers circled the small Japanese island of Okinoshima for 90 seconds, causing 18 jet interceptors to scramble from bases in Kyushu and Okinawa. It was the second such violation in a month. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said a protest would be lodged with the Soviet government through the embassy in Moscow.