Tokyo is expressing heightened concern over increasingly frequent joint military patrols conducted by China and Russia in the vicinity of Japan. The Japanese Ministry of Defense stated it scrambled aircraft to monitor Russian and Chinese air forces conducting joint patrols around the country, amid growing tensions between Tokyo and Beijing.
According to a statement released Tuesday evening, two Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, flew from the Sea of Japan towards the East China Sea to meet with Chinese bombers, participating in a long-range flight in the Pacific Ocean. The statement further indicated that four Chinese fighter jets joined the Russian bombers as they flew back and forth between the Japanese islands of Okinawa and Miyako.
Simultaneously, the Ministry also detected Russian air force activity in the Sea of Japan, consisting of an early warning aircraft and two fighter jets. The Miyako Strait, located between the islands of Okinawa and Miyako, is classified as international waters.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjirō Koizumi stated on social media Wednesday that the joint Russian and Chinese operations are “clearly aimed at demonstrating force against our nation, which is a matter of grave concern for our national security.” Russian news agencies reported that the joint Russian-Chinese flight near Japan lasted eight hours.
South Korea also reported that seven Russian and two Chinese aircraft entered its air defense identification zone. Last Sunday, Japan claimed that Chinese fighter jets launched from a Chinese aircraft carrier targeted Japanese military aircraft with radar the previous day, an account disputed by Beijing.
The increased military movements by Beijing near Japan follow Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s statement last month that Tokyo could respond to any Chinese military action against Taiwan that threatens Japan’s security. China and Russia have strengthened military cooperation in recent years, conducting joint operations such as anti-missile drills on Russian territory and live-fire naval exercises in the South China Sea.
