Japan Fighter Jets Fire Flares as Russian Aircraft Violates Airspace

A senior Japanese official said this was the first time flares had been used against an airspace intruder.

The 5th and 8th Air Wing of Japan Air Self-Defense Force's F-15 and F-2 fighters hold a joint military drill with U.S. Marine Aircraft Group 12's F-35B fighters off Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu in this handout picture released on Oct. 4, 2022. Joint Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan/Reuters

Japan has confirmed that a Russian patrol aircraft violated its airspace three times, prompting the Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets to fire flares for the first time.

A Russian IL-38 patrol aircraft flew over Japan’s territorial waters near Rebun Island, off the northernmost of Hokkaido, between 1 p.m. and 3:43 p.m. local time on Monday, according to the Japanese defense ministry.