Japan Warns Against China and Russia’s ‘Increasing’ Joint Air Drills Near Japanese Territory

A Russian Tu-95 strategic bomber flies during Russian-Chinese military aerial exercises to patrol the Asia-Pacific region, at an unidentified location, in this still image taken from a video released on May 24, 2022. (Russian Defense Ministry/Handout via Reuters)

Japan has warned that it will “decisively protect” its territory in the face of increasing joint patrols by Chinese and Russian warplanes that have sparked severe security concerns, a government official said on Dec. 1.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Japan conveyed its concerns to China and Russia via diplomatic channels regarding their warplane activities near Japan’s territory.

“We will closely monitor the increasing cooperation between the two countries with a sense of concern,” Matsuno said at a press briefing.

Japan’s Defense Ministry earlier reported that two Chinese H-6 bombers and two Russian Tu-95 bombers were spotted flying together to the East China Sea from the Sea of Japan on Nov. 30, prompting its military to scramble fighter jets in response.

The ministry stated that the four aircraft didn’t enter Japan’s airspace, but they posed a military threat. Russian Tu-95 bombers are capable of carrying cruise missiles, although it’s unclear whether they were armed during the mission.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff also scrambled jets after spotting two Chinese and eight Russian warplanes entered the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) on Nov. 30, Yonhap News Agency reported.

An air defense zone is an area in which countries demand that foreign aircraft take special steps to identify themselves.

The warplanes included two Chinese H-6s, four Russian Tu-95s, and two Russian Su-35s; South Korean officials said they didn’t violate South Korean airspace.

“Our military dispatched air force fighter jets ahead of the Chinese and Russian aircraft’s entry of the KADIZ to implement tactical measures in preparation for a potential contingency,” the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff stated.

Russia, China Hold Joint Air Patrol

Later that day, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that its Tu-95 bombers and Chinese H-6K bombers conducted an aerial patrol over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, which lasted about eight hours.

“Su-30SM and Su-35S jets of the Russian Aerospace Forces provided fighter support for the air task force,” it stated.

The ministry claimed that the bombers were accompanied by “fighter jets of foreign states” at some stages of the patrol, but “there were no violations of the airspace of foreign states,” the state-run Tass Russian News Agency reported.

“For the first time in the history of aerial patrolling, Russian aircraft landed at an airfield in the People’s Republic of China and Chinese planes landed at an airfield on the territory of the Russian Federation,” the Russian ministry stated.

The Chinese Ministry of Defense issued a Dec. 1 statement confirming its joint aerial patrol with Russian warplanes over the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea, and the west Pacific Ocean.

China stated that its air forces deployed H-6K strategic bombers, YU-20 tanker aircraft, and J-16 fighter jets to the patrol mission.

The two countries have boosted cooperation and signed a “no limits” partnership during the Beijing Winter Olympics in February. China has refrained from condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Russia described as a “special military operation.”

Reuters contributed to this report.