Russian Spy Plane Breaches Japan Airspace, Fighters Scrambled

Russian spy plane violates Japanese airspace thrice, prompting fighter jet response. Follows recent Chinese incursion. Japan protests to Moscow.

A surveillance aircraft from Russia breached Japanese airspace on three separate occasions this Monday, compelling Japan to dispatch its fighter jets and deploy warning flares.

This event follows a comparable incident from the previous month, where a Chinese military reconnaissance plane directly encroached upon Japanese airspace for what is believed to be the first time.

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Japan's defense ministry disclosed details of Monday's airspace violation, stating that a Russian IL-38 patrol aircraft, used for military purposes, entered Japanese airspace in the vicinity of Rebun Island and to the northwest of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost primary island.

The reconnaissance aircraft infiltrated the airspace three distinct times, according to Japanese reports, with durations of 60 seconds, half a minute, and another minute, respectively.

As a countermeasure to this intrusion, Japan's Air Self-Defense Force mobilized its F-35 and F-15 fighter aircraft and discharged flares as a deterrent to the Russian plane. Additionally, Tokyo expressed its strong disapproval of the incident through diplomatic channels with Moscow.

The Japanese Defense Ministry released a map illustrating the flight path of the IL-38. This occurrence marks the first known breach by a Russian military aircraft since 2019.

This incursion follows closely on the heels of a Chinese military Y-9 reconnaissance aircraft violating Japanese airspace near the Danjo Islands, situated southeast of Nagasaki, in late April. According to Japan's defense ministry, the Chinese Y-9 remained within Japanese airspace for a duration of three minutes.

During that incident, fighters from the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force were scrambled, but they did not resort to firing flares.

China routinely operates its military aircraft in international airspace, adhering to international law. It also conducts flights into disputed airspace, often as a means of asserting its stance. However, the incident last month represented the first known instance of a Chinese military aircraft directly infringing upon Japanese airspace.

A few days later, a vessel from the Chinese navy breached Japan's territorial waters to the west of Kuchinoerabu Island, located in the Tokara Strait southwest of Japan's four largest islands.

The Chinese Shupang-class survey ship lingered in the area before navigating to the southwest of Yakushima Island.

China maintained that the two incidents were unrelated, with Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning arguing that the passage through the Tokara Strait was "completely lawful and legitimate."