Japan deployed fighter jets on Friday after Russian patrol planes were spotted in the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, Japanese officials said.
Two planes flew along the coast between central and southern Japan, through the Tsushima Strait and back the same way, Japan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a brief statement. According to the statement, Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets were “activated in response”.
In May, the Japanese military also fired fighter jets at Russian intelligence-gathering aircraft.
The mobilization of Japanese jets comes on the day Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is due to meet US President Joe Biden and South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol at Camp David.
Leaders are expected to agree on a new triple crisis hotline and regular military exercises, as well as annual trilateral summits.
Japan has joined Western allies in punishing Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine after warning of the threat posed by Russia.
The latest security document, which once called for strengthening ties and cooperation with Russia, now warns that Moscow’s joint military exercises with China are a concern.
Last month, the two countries held joint naval exercises in the Sea of Japan and conducted a joint patrol in the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea in June.
Japan has deployed 778 fighter jets in 2022, including 150 against Russia – the lowest number since 2013 – according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Source: DN
