On September 23, a Russian IL-38 patrol aircraft was reported to have intruded into Japanese airspace three separate times, an act condemned by both the Defense Ministry and the Self-Defense Forces as calculated intimidation. At a news conference the following day, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara stated that such overflights could rightly be interpreted as acts of intimidation. He also confirmed that this incident marked the first occasion the Air Self-Defense Force fired flares as a warning to an intruding foreign aircraft.

The Joint Staff Office detailed that the Russian patrol aircraft entered Japanese airspace at three different times—at approximately 1:03 p.m., 3:31 p.m., and 3:42 p.m.—each intrusion lasting from 30 seconds to a minute. Senior officials within the Defense Ministry expressed skepticism that the invasions were accidental, highlighting the aircraft's consistent flight pattern over roughly five hours. Intelligence indicated that the Russian aircraft likely was engaged in anti-submarine warfare training, as the bomb bay doors were open during the overflights.

The Maritime Self-Defense Force’s chief, Akira Saito, commented that the intruding aircraft usually engages in search operations. Alarmingly, senior officials have noted the unprecedented nature of a Russian aircraft conducting training so close to Japan while entering Japanese airspace multiple times. This incident follows a similar event in August when a Chinese military aircraft made its first incursion into Japanese airspace near Nagasaki, prompting Japan's defense authorities to enhance vigilance against such incursions.