Tokyo, Japan – Japan’s Defense Minister reported that Japanese warplanes deployed flares to signal a Russian reconnaissance aircraft to exit northern Japanese airspace on Monday. The breach occurred above Rebun Island, close to Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, during a five-hour flight.
The incident followed a recent joint military exercise announced by Russia and China, which raised concerns about growing military cooperation in the region. The airspace violation came a day after a joint fleet of Chinese and Russian warships sailed around Japan’s northern coasts. Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara stated that Japan scrambled F-15 and F-35 fighter jets to respond to the breach, using flares after the Russian aircraft ignored warnings.
Kihara expressed regret over the violation and emphasized Japan’s strong protest to Russia through diplomatic channels. The Japanese defense officials are closely monitoring increasing military activities by China and Russia, especially around Japanese waters and airspace. Japan has subsequently reinforced defenses in southwestern Japan, including key remote islands crucial for defense strategy.
The incident is part of a series of airspace violations in recent months, including Russian military aircraft flying around southern Japanese airspace and a Chinese aircraft briefly entering Japan’s southern airspace. Japan’s military has scrambled jets numerous times to intercept foreign aircraft, with a significant portion directed towards Chinese military aircraft.
Japan and Russia have an ongoing territorial dispute over a group of islands seized by the former Soviet Union from Japan at the end of World War II. The disagreement has hindered the signing of a peace treaty between the two countries, formally closing hostilities from the war. Despite diplomatic efforts, tensions persist in the region as military activities continue to escalate.