Japan scrambles jets as Russian aircraft circle the country
- In Reports
- 05:56 PM, Sep 13, 2024
- Myind Staff
Japanese military on Thursday said that it scrambled fighter jets after it witnessed two Russian patrol planes circling the country. Tokyo reported that Russian planes did not cause any violation in the Japanese airspace. “From Thursday morning to afternoon, the Russian Tu-142 aircraft flew from the sea between Japan and South Korea towards the southern Okinawa region, according to a defence ministry statement. They then travelled north over the Pacific Ocean and finished their journey off the northern island of Hokkaido,” it said.
A ministry official told APF that the planes did not enter Japanese airspace but flew over an area subject to a territorial dispute between the two countries. "In response, we mobilised Air Self-Defence Force fighter jets on an emergency basis," the statement said. Back in 2019 a similar incident occurred. But then the Russian military aircraft included bombers that did enter Japan’s airspace. Chinese and Russian warships began their joint drills in the Sea of Japan earlier this week.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the drills, which are part of a major naval exercise, as the largest of its kind in three decades. In recent years, Russia and China have ramped up their military cooperation with the two railing against what they see as the US domination of global affairs. The two declared a "no limits" partnership just before Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to the defense ministry, Japan also scrambled fighter jets in August when its airspace was violated by Chinese military aircraft. The local media then reported that it was the first time by China that it had invaded Japanese airspace for two minutes by the Y-9 surveillance aircraft military plane.
After the Ukraine conflict, the relations between Japan and Russia have deteriorated sharply, and both claim the Kuril Islands -- known in Japan as the Northern Territories. The Soviet Union seized the strategically located volcanic archipelago north of Hokkaido in the final days of World War II. It has also maintained a military presence there ever since.
Image Source: The New Indian Express
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