Japan Warns Russian Aircraft with Flares After Airspace Violation

Japanese warplanes deployed flares on Tuesday to warn a Russian reconnaissance aircraft that had breached northern Japan's airspace. This incident prompted strong protests from Tokyo.

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara stated that the Russian Il-38 plane entered Japan's airspace above Rebun Island, near Hokkaido, three times during its five-hour flight. Each violation lasted up to a minute. This incident occurred a day after a joint fleet of Chinese and Russian warships sailed near Japan's northern coasts. Kihara suggested the airspace breach might be linked to joint military exercises announced earlier this month by Russia and China.

In response, Japan scrambled F-15 and F-35 fighter jets, which used flares for the first time after the Russian plane ignored earlier warnings. "The airspace violation was extremely regrettable," Kihara said, adding that Japan lodged a strong diplomatic protest with Russia and demanded preventive measures. He affirmed that Japan would continue to monitor military activities in the region closely.

Kihara explained that the use of flares was a justified response to the airspace violation and that they would be employed again if necessary.

Japanese defense officials are increasingly concerned about growing military cooperation between China and Russia, especially with China's assertive presence around Japan's waters and airspace. These concerns have led Japan to bolster its defenses in the southwestern part of the country, including remote islands crucial to its defense strategy.

This incident follows a series of similar airspace violations, including Russian aircraft circling southern Japanese airspace earlier in September and a Chinese Y-9 reconnaissance plane breaching Japan's southern airspace in late August.

Japan's military has scrambled jets 669 times between April 2023 and March 2024, with about 70 percent of the incidents involving Chinese military aircraft, though most did not involve airspace violations. Tensions between Japan and Russia remain high due to an unresolved territorial dispute over Russian-held islands, which has prevented the two countries from formally ending their World War II hostilities.