Russia’s Air Patrol Breaches Japanese Airspace, Triggers Immediate Military Response

The Japanese government announced on Monday that a Russian patrol aircraft breached its airspace three times, prompting a formal warning, according to local broadcaster NHK.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi revealed that a Russian IL-38 patrol aircraft entered Japanese airspace near Rebun Island, west of Hokkaido, on three consecutive occasions between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Hayashi emphasized that Japan has lodged a strong protest with Russia through diplomatic channels and has demanded measures to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Japan’s Ministry of Defense urgently dispatched fighter jets to respond to the incursions. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force jets launched flares as a warning to the Russian aircraft. Flares are designed to disrupt infrared-guided missiles, and this action marked Japan’s first formal warning against an airspace violation. The Ministry clarified that the flare launch was a precautionary measure rather than an act of aggression.

Kyodo News reported that the Ministry of Defense stated the flare launch served solely as a warning, distinguishing it from direct military action.

This incident is not the first of its kind. The Japanese Ministry of Defense confirmed that on the 12th, two Russian Tu-142 patrol aircraft circled the Japanese archipelago. On the 26th of last month, a Chinese military Y-9 medium transport aircraft violated Japanese airspace. At that time, the Chinese aircraft returned toward the mainland after Japan Air Self-Defense Force jets scrambled in response near the waters of the Danjo Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture, which marked the first recorded instance of a Chinese military aircraft violating Japanese airspace.