A Russian military spy plane violated Japan’s airspace multiple times on Monday, prompting it to scramble fighters and fire flares in response.
The Japanese defense ministry reported Monday’s violation of its airspace, confirming that a Russian military IL-38 patrol aircraft flew into Japanese airspace off Rebun Island and northwest of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island.
The spy plane entered the airspace three times, Japan noted, for periods of one minute, 30 seconds, and one minute, respectively.
In response to this incursion, the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force scrambled its F-35 and F-15 fighter jets and fired flares to warn off the Russian aircraft. Tokyo also said it strongly protested the incident via diplomatic channels with Moscow.
A map published by the Japanese Defense Ministry showed the IL-38’s flight path. Monday’s incident marks the first known violation by a Russian military aircraft since 2019.
The incursion comes on the heels of a Chinese military Y-9 spy plane violating Japanese airspace near the Danjo Islands, located to the southeast of Nagasaki, late last month. The Chinese military Y-9 was in Japanese airspace for three minutes, Japan’s defense ministry reported.
At the time, Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighters were scrambled but didn’t fire off flares.
China regularly operates military aircraft in international airspace in accordance with international law. It also flies into contested airspace, often to assert its position. But the incident last month was the first known time one of Beijing’s military planes had directly violated Japanese airspace.
Days later, a Chinese navy vessel violated Japan’s territorial waters west of Kuchinoerabu Island, which is located in the Tokara Strait southwest of the country’s four biggest islands.
The Chinese Schuppan-class survey ship remained in the area before sailing southwest of Yakushima Island.
China asserted neither of the incidents were linked, with Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning arguing that the passage of the Tokara Strait was “fully lawful and legitimate.”
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