Japan sends fighter jets after Russian planes spotted

Japan sent its fighter jets on Friday in response to Russian patrols seen between the Sea of ​​Japan and the China Sea.

The two Russian planes flew along the coast of central and southern Japan, crossed the Tsushima Strait, which connects the two seas and separates South Korea from Japan, and then returned by the same route, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a brief statement. Therefore, Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets were “scheduled in response,” he added.

The episode occurred as Russia and China are conducting joint naval maneuvers, with detachments from both navies operating in the East China Sea, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. In June, China and Russia conducted joint air patrols over the Sea of ​​Japan and the East China Sea, prompting South Korea to deploy fighter jets as a precaution.

Fighting the Russian Threat

This event also comes on the day of an unprecedented summit near Washington between the United States, South Korea and Japan, meant to send a signal of unity to China as well as North Korea. US President Joe Biden receives Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol at Camp David August 18.

The three countries are to create an “emergency channel” in a region threatened by North Korea’s nuclear program and fearful of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Japan joined Western allies in sanctions against Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and warned of the threat posed by Russia.

His latest security document, which once called for closer ties and cooperation with Russia, now warns that Moscow’s joint military exercises with China are problematic.