Japan Scrambles Jets as Russian Plane Lurks Near Okinawa

Russian Plane Provokes Japan's Fighter Jet Response

“We mobilised Air Self- Defence Force fighter jets on an emergency basis...”

Tensions rise between Japan and Russia amid Ukraine conflict and longstanding territorial dispute over Kuril Islands, with military exercises and aircraft incidents escalating concerns.

On Thursday, September 12, the Japanese Ministry of Defense scrambled fighter jets in response to a Russian aircraft loitering near the Okinawa archipelago.

According to a statement released by the Japanese Ministry of Defense on Friday, September 13, the Russian Tu-142 aircraft was detected flying from the sea between Japan and South Korea towards the southern region of Okinawa on Thursday morning. The aircraft remained in the area until the afternoon before heading north over the Pacific Ocean and concluding its flight near the northern island of Hokkaido.

Although the Russian aircraft didn't encroach on Japanese airspace, they flew over a contested area claimed by both Japan and Russia, a ministry official confirmed.

According to a ministry official's statement, “in response, we mobilised Air Self- Defence Force fighter jets on an emergency basis.”

The official pointed out that the last time Russian military aircraft were seen circling Japan was in 2019, when bombers actually violated Japanese airspace.

This week, Russian and Chinese warships launched joint naval exercises in the Sea of Japan, marking a significant show of military cooperation between the two nations.

The exercises are part of a large-scale naval drill, described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the biggest of its kind in three decades. The joint operation highlights the strengthening military ties between Russia and China, who have increasingly aligned their interests in recent years.

Both Russia and China have been vocal in their criticism of what they see as US hegemony in global affairs, and their deepening military cooperation is seen as a counterbalance to American influence.

In 2022, just prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russia and China declared a “no limits” partnership, signaling a deepening alliance between the two nations.

In late August, Japan scrambled fighter jets in response to a Chinese military aircraft entering its airspace, according to the defense ministry. Notably, a Chinese Y-9 surveillance plane allegedly spent two minutes in Japanese airspace, marking the first-ever intrusion by a Chinese military aircraft, as reported by local media outlets.

The conflict in Ukraine has led to a significant downturn in relations between Japan and Russia, which have long been strained due to a territorial dispute.

The contentious issue revolves around the Kuril Islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan, a strategically located archipelago north of Hokkaido. The Soviet Union seized control of the islands in the final days of World War II and has maintained a military presence there ever since, a move that Japan has never recognized, leading to ongoing tensions between the two nations.