Japan's armed forces fired flares for the first time in history after a Russian military patrol plane made three violations of the country's airspace Monday near the northern prefecture of Hokkaido, and Tokyo filed an official protest with Moscow.
An Il-38 patrol aircraft violated Japanese airspace three times near Rebun Island in Hokkaido Prefecture between 1:03 p.m. and 3:42 p.m. local time on Monday (6:03 a.m. – 8:42 a.m. in Poland), the Ministry of Defense said in a statement. Japan.
In response, Air Self-Defense Force (SDF) jets were scrambled. During the third incursion, F-15 and F-35 fighters radioed the Russian aircraft to fire flares, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told reporters. He said their use was a justified response to the airspace violation. “We plan to use them without hesitation,” he added.
Japan fired flares for the first time
This is the first time that Japanese SDF fighters have fired flares in an “action related to airspace violations,” Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said. “This violation of our national airspace is extremely regrettable,” he said. Tokyo has issued a “strong protest” to Moscow through diplomatic channels and called for a recurrence.
The government spokesman declined to answer a question about the intentions and goals of the Russian military aircraft, but noted that “the Russian military is still active in the areas surrounding our country even after the invasion of Ukraine.”
Russian Il-38 (illustrative photo)mil.ru
Joint exercises of Russia and China
CNN noted that the incident occurred a day after a joint group of Chinese and Russian ships sailed around the northern coast of Japan. Kihara said the airspace violation may be related to joint military exercises, which Russia and China announced earlier this month.
Japanese defense officials are very concerned about the growing military cooperation between China and Russia and China's increasingly assertive activity in Japanese waters and airspace, CNN reported. This has led to a significant defense boost in southwestern Japan, including remote islands that are considered key to Japan's defense strategy in the region.
The portal also noted that Japan and Russia are engaged in a territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands, which the former Soviet Union took from Japan at the end of World War II. This conflict has prevented both countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending hostilities.
Main image source: mil.ru