Incident Details

Defense Minister Minoru Kihara announced on the night of the 23rd that a Japan Air Self-Defense Force plane had fired flares to warn a Russian military patrol plane that had violated airspace north of Rebun Island, Hokkaido.

According to Defense Minister Kihara, a Russian IL-38 military patrol plane violated the airspace three times between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. that day. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force scrambled F-15 and F-35 fighter jets, issued radio notifications and warnings, and fired flares when the third violation occurred.

Background and Context

Defense Minister Kihara explained the circumstances surrounding the rocket launch, saying, “We came to this decision in light of the situation,” but added, “There was no particularly dangerous action by the Russian aircraft.” Firing rockets and warning shots, he said, is “one of the operations that we can undertake. In any case, we would like to do it without hesitation.”

According to Defense Minister Kihara, 48 airspace violations have been confirmed so far, including this one. There are 44 cases in Russia, including those in the former Soviet Union, three in China, and one in Taiwan.

Related Incidents and Reactions

On August 26, a Chinese military intelligence-gathering plane invaded the skies off the coast of Nagasaki Prefecture’s Men’s and Women’s Islands, prompting the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to scramble fighter jets.

Separately, the Ministry of Defense confirmed that eight Russian and Chinese warships sailed east through the Soyuz Strait on the 23rd. Defense Minister Kihara said: “There is a possibility that the flight of the Russian military aircraft and the navigation of the ships from China and Russia are connected.”

Defense Minister Kihara announced that he had lodged a protest with the Russian government through diplomatic channels. “Even after the Russian military invaded Ukraine, Russian aircraft continue to be active in the vicinity of Japan. We will continue to monitor Russian military movements in the airspace surrounding Japan with keen interest and will take every precaution to monitor and monitor them. I want to do so,” he said.